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an THE 
LATTER-DAY SAINTS' TOUR 



FROM 



Palmyra, New York, to Salt Lake 
City, through the Stereoscope. 



A History of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter 

Day Saints, Embodied in Descriptions of 

Original Stereographs of Noted Persons, 

Famous Buildings, and Interesting 

Scenes Connected with the Story 

of the Origin, Struggles and 

Gzowth of the Mormon 

People. 



DESIGNED BY 

JOHN A. CAITIFF 

AND 
DESCRIBED BY 

B. H. ROBERTS. 



Author of "The Life of John Taylor," "Outlines 
of Ecclesiastical History;" "The Gospel;" "A 
New Witness;" "Mormon View of Deity" etc. 



The Deseret News 

Salt Lake City 

1904 



« 



\\ 



US^ARY of CONGRESS 
IWo Copies Received 

AUG 15 1904 
Copyright Entry 

CLASS GuXXo. No. 

COPY B 



Copyright, 1904, 

BY 

JOHN A. CALIFF 



b 



PREFACE 



PREFACE 

It seems fitting that the readers of 
this monograph be given an account 
of how it came to be written and 
the purposes for which it is sub- 
mitted to the public. 

At present I occupy the residence 
known as the Old Jail, of Carthage, 
Hancock County, Illinois. During 
the past year it has been my privi- 
lege and pleasure to show hundreds 
of people through this building, 
made historic by the murder of the 
Prophet Joseph Smith and his 
brother Hyrum within its walls. 
Among these visitors were many 
Latter-day Saints who were deeply 
interested in this historic place. 

The persecutions which' began at 
Palmyra, New York, and continued 
throughout Ohio, Missouri and Illi- 
nois, and which resulted finally in 
the establishment of the Church in 
Utah, have been the subject of 
many books, but in none, it seems 
to me, heretofore presented to the 
public, has full advantage been taken 
of modern art to preserve, for a 



purely historic treatment, the at- 
mosphere surrounding the acts, 
teachings and persecutions of the 
Prophet Joseph Smith. 

Human toil and human suffering, 
when endured for the sake of hu- 
man well-being, render places not 
only memorable, but lovable — yea, 
sacred. This is true even of secu- 
lar affairs. The fields on which lib- 
erty has been wrested from the 
hands of tyrants are sacred to all 
humanity. Bunker Hill is to all 
Americans more than a hill. The 
monument there erected is but a 
marker, the real monument is the 
hill itself, dedicated to the spirit of 
liberty and endeared to the hearts of 
a liberty-loving people on the very 
day when the blood of New Eng- 
land patriots was there shed. And 
how much this sacredness of place 
affects mankind is evident. It is this 
that induces travelers every year by 
thousands to visit the world's fa- 
mous battle fields, the birth places 
and the tombs of the heroes, sages 
and poets of all lands and all ages. 
Nor can it be questioned that the 
thoughtful traveler returns from 
such scenes with a new and finer 



sense of the essential dignity and 
justice of humanity. 

Just as man is a dual being, body 
and spirit, so also history may be 
said to have a like duality, the 
scenes and places of man's great 
deeds being the body, and the in- 
forming spirit that wrought these 
deeds, the soul of history. Nor can 
the one be considered apart from 
the other without a distinct loss. 
Modern art provides a way for pre- 
serving for all future ages this body 
of history, these places and scenes 
where great souls have blazed the 
way for truth and for humanity. 
Under the corroding influences of 
time and decay, as well as through 
the changes made in the face of na- 
ture, those places and scenes soon 
lose their pristine appearance, if not 
their identity- In view of these con- 
siderations, it seems to me, that this 
is a fitting time to give to the his- 
tory of the persecution of Joseph 
Smith and his followers, and of the 
founding of the Church in the west- 
ern desert, a body, the best that art 
can give. Hence, this series of ster- 
eocopic photographs by the fore- 
most artist of the times, accom- 



8 



panied by narration and description 
from the pen of the well known 
writer, B. H. Roberts, who has per- 
sonally visited all these scenes — is 
submitted to the public as a stereo- 
graphic history of the Church of 
Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 
the value of which will increase as 
the years go by. 

That these stereographs, with 
their descriptions, may prove a val- 
uable and interesting addition to 
the literature of the Church, is the 
sincere hope of the designer of this 
work. 

JOHN A. CALIFF. 
"The Old Jail," Carthage, Illinois. 

June, 1904. 



CONTENTS 



CONTENTS. 



PAGE 

How to See Stereoscopic Photo- 
graphs 

General View of Mormonlsm 

ITINERARY. 

1. Joseph Smith the Mormon Prophet 

and Founder of the Church of Jesus 
Christ of Latter-day Saints 22 

2. The Old Smith Homestead— Scene of 

Joseph's First Visions and Revela- 
tions— near Palmyra, New York 26 

3. Cumorah Hill, wh^re the Prophet Re- 

ceived the Golden Plates or Records 
of the Book of Mormon, near Pal- 
myra, New York 32 

4. The Mormon Temple at Kirtland,Ohio, 

—59x79 feet, cost $70,000, dedicated 
March 27,1636 37 

5. North over Temple Lot. Site Marked 

by Mormon Prophecy for World's 
Greatest Temple, Independence, 
Missouri 44 

6. Ruins of Jail where Joseph Smith, 

Hyrum Smith, and other Mormon 
Leaders were Imprisoned, Liberty, 
Missouri 49 

7. Apostle Lyman Wight's House at 

Adam-ondi-Ahman, near Gallatin, 
Daviess County, Missouri. 55 

8. Looking East Along Mulholland Street 

from South Side of Temple Block, 
Nauvoo, Illinois 66 

9. The Temple of Nauvoo, Illinois, 88x128 

feet, Corner Stone Laid April 6, 1841; 
burned November 10 , 1848 67 

10. Home of President Wilford Woodruff, 

Nauvoo, Illinois, Facing East 72 

11. Home of President Lorenzo Snow, 

Nauvoo. Illinois 73 

12. Nauvoo Mansion, Home of Joseph 

Smith, from which Murdered Broth- 
ers were Buried, Nauvoo, Illinois.. . 75 

13. Old Smith Homestead, Emma Smith's 

Grave, and Lot where Martyred 
Brothers were Buried, Nauvoo, 111.. 77 

14. Home of President Brigham Young, 

Nauvoo, 111., Facing North 78 

15. Home of President John Taylor, Nau- 

voo, 111., Facing East 78 

16. The Old Jail where the Prophet Joseph 

Smith and His Brother liyrum were 
Murdered, South Front, Carthage, 
Illinois 91 

17. Hall Door to Debtor's Prison, Stair 

way Ascended by Mob and Door to 
Main Prison, Jail, Carthage, 111 92 



12 



18. Door to Main Prison, Hall where Mob 

Stood while Firing into Jailors' 
Parlor, Jail, Carthage, 111 93 

19. Jailor's Parlor where Mob Slew Joseph 

and Hyrum Smith; Bullet Hole in 
Door—Old Jail, Carthage, 111 93 

20. East Side of Jail, Showing Window 

where Joseph Smith was Shot and 
from which he Fell, Carthage, 111 . . . 94 

21. Courthouse, Scene of Trial of the Mur- 

derers of Joseph and Hyrum Smith, 
Carthage, 111 95 

22. Brigham Young, the Great Leader of 

the Nauvoo Exodus, and Colonizer 
of the American Desert 95 

23. The Great Temple and the Tabernacle, 

Cost of Temple $4,000,000, height 
210 feet, 8alt Lake City, Utah 105 

24. Pioneer Monument, in Honor of Brig- 

ham Young and Pioneers of July 24, 
1847. Salt Lake City, Utah ..109 

25. The East Side of Temple Block, look- 

ing North, Salt Lake City, Utah 112 

26. Iuterior of the Tabernacle, Seating 

8,000, and the Great Organ, Salt Lake 
City, Utah 112 

27. Assembly Hull, Temple Block— Gothic 

Architecture, Seating Capacity 3,000, 
Salt Lake City, Utah 115 

28. The Beehive House, Official Residence 

of President Joseph F. Smith, Salt 
Lake City, Utah 115 

29. The Lion House and the Great Temple 

at Distance, Northwest, Salt Lake 
City,Utah 116 

30. Amelia Palace, Last Official Residence 

of Brigham Young, Salt Lake City, 
Utah.T 117 

31. Grave of Brigham Young, Salt Lake 

City, Utah 118 

32. Courthouse -City and County Build- 

ings—height 256 feet, cost $800,000 
Salt Lake City, Utah 119 

33. Salt Lake City Northwest from the 

Courthouse— theTemple at Distance, 
left— Utah 120 

34. Looking Southeast Along Main Street, 

Salt Lake City, Utah 120 

25. Great Pavilion at Saltair Beach, Salt 
Lake, 13 Miles due West from Salt 
Lake City, Utah 121 

36. Great Salt Lake and the Pavilion- 

Bathing Scene, Showing Density of 
water in Great Salt Lake 122 

37. Hon. Heber M. Wells, Governor of 

Utah, in His Office, Salt Lake City.. 124 

38. President Joseph F. Smith, left, and 

Second Counselor Ant hon H. Lund, 
center. First Counselor John R. 
Wlnder,right 125 



How to See Stereoscopic Photographs. 

(A) Experiment with the Sliding 

Rack, etc. 

(B) Have a Strong, Steady Light on 

the Stereograph. 

(C) Hold the Sterescope with the 

Hood Close Against the Fore- 
head, etc. 

(D) If a Clear Idea is not Obtained 

of each Stereograph from the 
Description Given, Read the 
Statement in Points of View 
and Directions, that Refers to 
the View that you are Study- 
ing, etc. 

(E) Do Not Look Over the Stereo- 

graphs too Rapidly, etc. 



A GENERAL VIEW OF MORMONISM 



Mormonism, from whatever point 
of view considered, is an interest- 
ing subject. The truth of the as- 
sertion is obvious with reference to 
those who accept it as a divine in- 
stitution; but we hold that it is 
scarcely less interesting to the gen- 
eral reader and the student of re- 
ligious phenomena. The latter will 
find in it all those elements usually 
connected with religious world 
movements. On the part of the 
leaders in Mormonism he will see 
exhibited the force that comes of 
a self-conscious inspiration that for 
its origin refers to God ; on the part 
of the followers he will see exhib- 
ited that faith which becomes a pas- 
sionate intuition ; and in the union 
and activity of these two forces he 
will recognize the religious power 
that braves all danger, that over- 
comes all obstacles, that knows no 
defeat ; and leads to such exaltation 
of mind that men under its influence 
take joyfully the spoiling of their 
goods, out of weakness are made 
strong, wax valiant in fight, count 
as nothing the attacks of their ene- 
mies, endure all things, hope all 
things; and though troubled on 
every side, yet are they not dis- 
tressed; perplexed, but not in de- 



i6 



spair ; persecuted, but not forsaken ; 
cast down, but not destroyed. This 
is the force which in Moses and the 
Hebrew race, founded the common- 
wealth of Israel ; that in Christ and 
the apostles, founded the Christian 
Church ; that in Mohammed and his 
following, established Islam. As 
for the general reader, though he 
may take no delight in an analytical 
study of Mormon thought and doc- 
trine, if he has an admiration for 
human achievement in the face of 
seemingly insurmountable ob- 
stacles; if his soul may be touched 
by pathos, or thrilled by heroism; 
if he delights to dwell on things 
involving high adventures — the 
founding of states, the redeeming 
of deserts, the struggle of civiliza- 
tion against savagery, as well as 
struggles in the world of ideas, he 
will find all these in infinite variety 
in Mormonism; and hence to him, 
as we contend, Mormonism will be 
a subject of intense interest. 

When allowed to represent them- 
selves the Latter-day Saints insist 
that Mormonism is no new religion, 
but a new dispensation of Christian- 
ity; not a new institution, but the 
re-establishment of an old one — the 
Church of Jesus Christ. This new 
dispensation of the old Christian 
faith, this latter-day founding of the 
Church of Christ, became a neces- 
sary work because men in the early 
Christian centuries departed from 



17 



the faith once delivered to the 
Saints, and finally paganized and de- 
stroyed the Church of Christ by 
transgressing the laws of God, 
changing the ordinances of the gos- 
pel, and breaking the covenant that 
had been made with God — hence a 
spiritual darkness covered the world 
that could only be dispersed by a 
new dispensation of the gospel of 
Christ, and a re-establishment of the 
Christian Church. This restored 
gospel, this re-established Church of 
Christ is Mormonism. 

This modern dispensation of 
the Christian religion and the 
re-establishment of the Christian 
church took place in western New 
York, in the region of country south 
of Lake Ontario ; Palmy ra,in Wayne 
County, Manchester, in Ontario, 
and Fayette, in Seneca, being the 
chief centers of its early activities. 
From these centers where Mormon- 
ism may be said to have been 
roughly cradled, it made its forced 
marches across the continent to its 
present commanding position in the 
Rocky Mountains, where it chal- 
lenges the investigation of the 
world. 

It is a mistake to think of Mor- 
monism any longer as limited by the 
boundary lines of the state of Utah. 
It has passed over these boundary 
lines in every direction. I f s colon- 
izine enterprises extend from the 
province of Alberta, Canada, to the 



8 



north part of the state of Chihua- 
hua, Mexico, a distance, as the crow 
flies, of some eighteen hundred or 
two thousand miles ; while east and 
west its colonies extend into Wyo- 
ming and Colorado, Nevada and 
Oregon. Mormonism then lies 
across the pathway of all transcon- 
tinetal travel ; no journey can be 
made from the sea east to the sea 
west without touching it at some 
point, and so with the journey from 
the west sea to the east. 

The story of the origin of Mor- 
monism is in itself both interesting 
and instructive. Joseph Smith, the 
Mormon prophet, for whom the 
world as yet can give no satisfactory 
accounting, when a mere lad — four- 
teen years of age — was much dis- 
turbed by the sectarian divisions 
and bitterness in his own neighbor- 
hood, the vicinity of Palmyra. 
Though necessarily limited in his 
experience and immature in judg- 
ment, to him this strife was incon- 
gruous and altogether out of keep- 
ing with that spirit that should char- 
acterize the true Christian religion. 
In the midst of the war of words and 
tumult of opinions that raged about 
him he frequently asked, "What is 
to be done? Who of these parties 
are right, or are they all wrong to- 
gether. If any one of them be right 
which is it, and how shall I know 
it?" In the midst of these perplex- 
ities he read in the epistle of James, 



19 



"If any of you lack wisdom let him 
ask of God that giveth to all men 
liberally and upbraideth not, and it 
shall be given him." Acting upon 
these instructions he claims to have 
received in answer an open vision 
of the Lord God and His Son Jesus 
Christ, w T ho informed him, in an- 
swer to his questions, that none of 
the sects of religion about him were 
right; that all their creeds were an 
abomination in God's sight ; that the 
professors thereof drew near to 
Him with their lips, but their hearts 
were far from Him; that they 
taught for doctrine the command- 
ments of men ; that they had a form 
of Godliness, but denied the power 
thereof. He was forbidden to join 
any of them, but received the prom- 
ise that the fullness of the gospel 
would at some future time be made 
known to him. 

Three years later Joseph Smith 
claims to have been visited by an- 
other heavenly messenger, direct 
from the presence of God, who re- 
vealed to him the existence of the 
Book of Mormon, an abridged rec- 
ord of the ancient inhabitants of 
America, engraven upon gold plates 
and hidden in a hill adjacent to his 
father's residence, and called by the 
ancients "Cumorah." This record 
contains the history of the ancient 
inhabitants of America, an account 
of their migrations from the old 
world to the new, and the expansion 



20 



of these colonies into great empires 
and republics. It gives an account 
also of the advent of the Savior in 
the western hemisphere after His 
resurrection, and the establishment 
of the gospel of Christ and the or- 
ganization of His Church among 
the inhabitants thereof. It is not 
only an important history of an- 
cient America, but a valuable vol- 
ume of scripture. Subsequent min- 
istrations of angels — of John the 
Baptist, now raised from the dead; 
also of Peter, James and John — the 
three chief apostles of Jesus in a 
previous dispensation of the gospel 
— resulted in conferring upon the 
prophet of the new dispensation di- 
vine authority by which he was au- 
thorized to preach the gospel and 
administer its ordinances. By virtue 
of this authority, on the 6th day of 
April, 1830, he organized the 
Church of Christ in Fayette, New 
York, where resided the Whitmers 
and Oliver Cowdery, who became 
his ardent supporters and assistants 
in the work. 

All this was not accomplished 
without violent opposition. The 
world seldom takes kindly to inno- 
vators, and least of all to religious 
innovators, especially such an inno- 
vator as Joseph Smith, who begun 
his prophetic career by proclaiming, 
as a messenger from God, that the 
sects were all wrong and their 
creeds an abomination, and pre- 



21 

dieting the coming forth of a sys- 
tem of religious truth which would 
supplant them. The vexation of 
sectarian ministers at first found ex- 
pression in ridicule, then in denun- 
ciation, in malignant persecutions, 
and finally in acts of mob violence. 
But no matter; the Church of the 
new dispensation had been founded, 
and was started upon its marvelous 
career. 

On its forced march from New 
York westward, the Mormon 
Church, or, to use its official name, 
the Church of Jesus Christ of Lat- 
ter-day Saints, halted in Ohio, in 
Missouri, and Illinois. Wherever it 
halted it made history, and left 
monuments ; and it cannot be other- 
wise than that these monuments no 
less than the tabernacles and 
temples it has builded and the cities 
it has founded in the Rocky Moun- 
tains of the west, are all interesting. 
It is these considerations which 
have led to the publication of this 
series of stereographs, which mark 
the wayside stages of the Mormon 
Church in its movements from Pal- 
myra to Salt Lake, and the publish- 
ers are of opinion that they are con- 
ferring a public benefit by enabling 
their readers to follow step by step 
the progress of this greatest of all 
modern relieious movements. 



22 



1. Joseph Smith, the Mormon 
Prophet and Founder of the 
Church of Jesus Christ of Lat- 
ter-day Saints. 

"It is by no means improbable," 
writes Josiah Quincy in 1844, "that 
some future text-book, for the use 
of generations yet unborn, v/ill con- 
tain a question something like this : 
What historical American of the 
nineteenth century has exerted the 
most powerful influence upon the 
destinies of his countrymen? And it 
is by no means impossible that the 
answer to that interrogatory may be 
thus written : Joseph Smith, the 
Mormon prophet. And the reply^ 
absurd as it doubtless seems to most 
men now living, may be an obvious 
commonplace to their descendants." 

If such a probability as this could 
be impressed upon the mind of a 
man of such intelligence as Josiah 
Quincy in 1844, how much more 
probable must this prediction ap- 
pear after sixty years of rough ex- 
perience has tested the institutions 
founded by Joseph Smith only to 
prove them more vigorous than dur- 
ing his lifetime, and daily extend- 
ing their influence over more terri- 
tory and more people. 

Joseph Smith was born on the 
23rd of December, 1805, in Sharon, 
Windsor county, in the state of 
Vermont, United States of America. 
When the Prophet was ten 



23 



years of age his parents mi- 
grated to the state of New York 
and settled near Palmyra; after- 
wards removing to Manchester 
township, in the same State. Here, 
at the age of fourteen, began those 
religious perplexities and question- 
ings in the youthful mind of the 
future prophet of the 19th century 
which resulted in the great visions 
and revelations on which are based 
the doctrines and organization of 
the Church of Jesus Christ of Lat- 
ter-day Saints, commonly called the 
"Mormon Church." 

The life's work of the prophet 
was attended with every conceiv- 
able difficulty, from the announce- 
ment of his first revelation to the 
close of his career by martyrdom at 
Carthage, Illinois, on the 27th of 
June, 1844. His life was beset with 
difficulties ranging from ridicule of 
his pretentions to the most violent 
and brutal attacks upon his person, 
and finally to assassination itself. 
Fifty times was he dragged before 
the courts of his country, where 
every variety of false charges was 
made against him, and fifty times 
was he dismissed from 'custody un- 
condemned. Time and again the 
waves of adversity seemed to over- 
whelm him, but each time he arose 
in greater majesty and power; and, 
as he himself once said, "wafted by 
them nearer to Deity/' Sure it is 
that each new persecution endeared 



24 



him the more to the hearts of his 
people, and he lived to realize the 
fulfillment of his own prediction, 
viz., that his people should never be 
turned against him by the testimony 
of traitors. Few men — none — ever 
ranged so completely the gamut of 
human experience, or tasted so 
fully life's commingled joys and 
sorrows as did this man. Reviled, 
yet honored ; derided as an imposter, 
yet accepted as a prophet; perse- 
cuted, yet not forsaken; cast down, 
but not destroyed; his very death 
was a triumph, a martyrdom, and 
his blood ruthlessly shed by assas- 
sins affixed a broad seal to his tes- 
timony and made it of force in all 
the world. His person and character 
are most happily described by a dis- 
ciple who knew him well and shared 
his sorrows and triumphs for many 
years, and finally himself became a 
martyr in the same cause. 

"President Joseph Smith was in 
person tall and well built, strong and 
active ; of a light complexion, light 
hair, blue eyes, very little beard, and 
of an expression peculiar to himself, 
on which the eye naturally rested 
with interest, and was never weary 
of beholding. His countenance was 
ever mild, affable, beaming with in- 
telligence and benevolence ; mingled 
with a look of interest and an un- 
conscious smile, or cheerfulness, 
and entirely free from all restraint 
or affectation of gravity; and there 



25 



was something connected with the 
serene and steady penetrating 
glance of his eye, as if he would 
penetrate the deepest abyss of the 
human heart, gaze into eternity, 
penetrate the heavens, and compre- 
hend all worlds. 

"He possessed a noble boldness 
and independence of character; his 
manner was easy and familiar; his 
rebuke terrible as the lion; his be- 
nevolence unbounded as the ocean; 
his intelligence universal, and his 
language abounding in original elo- 
quence peculiar to himself — not pol- 
ished — not studied — not smoothed 
and softened by education and re- 
fined by art; but flowing forth in 
its own native simplicity, and pro- 
fusely abounding in variety of sub- 
ject and manner. He interested and 
edified, while, at the same time, he 
amused and entertained his audi- 
ence; and none listened to him that 
were ever weary with his discourse. 
I have even known him to retain a 
congregation of willing and anxious 
listeners for many hours together, 
in the midst of cold or sunshine, rain 
or wind, while they were laughing 
at one moment and weeping the 
next. Even his most bitter enemies 
were generally overcome, if he could 
once get their ears." 

Another disciple, one who was 
with him in his martyrdom in Car- 
thage prison, thus sings of him : 



26 



"The Seer, the Seer! Jospeh the 

Seer! 
O, how I love his memory dear ! 
The just and wise, the pure and 

free, 
A father he was and is to me. 
Let fiends now rage in their dark 

hour — 
No matter, he is beyond their 

power. 

He's free! he's free! the Prophet's 

free ! 
He is where he will ever be ; 
Beyond the reach of mobs and strife, 
He rests unharmed in endless life; 
His home's in the sky, he dwells 

with the Gods, 
Far from the furious rage of mobs. 
He died ! he died for those he loved ; 
He reigns, he reigns in the realms 

above ; 
He waits with the just who have 

gone before, 
To welcome the Saints to Zion's 

shore." 

2. The Old Smith Homestead — 
Scene of Joseph Smith's First 
Visions and Eevelations — near 
Palmyra, l^ew York. 

A homely old-fashioned farm 
house is this Smith residence on the 
borders of the town of Palmyra, 
New York. Famous only because 
it sheltered through five eventful 
years the Prophet Joseph Smith. 



27 



The Smith family, consisting at the 
time of Joseph Smith, Sen., his wife 
Lucy Mack Smith, five sons and 
two daughters, first appeared in 
Palmyra in 1815. The family had 
moved from the State of Vermont, 
where crop-failures for several years 
in succession had rendered their 
farming operations unproductive, 
notwithstanding their industry and 
providence. On arriving at Pal- 
myra the Vermont farmer took 
counsel with his family, and suc- 
ceeded by a united effort in purchas- 
ing, on the plan of yearly install- 
ments, one hundred acres of land, 
a part of the Everson estate, and on 
it erected first a log house which 
served as a temporary home while 
clearing their farm of timber and 
making their first few annual pay- 
ments. Prosperity followed the in- 
dustry of the family for a few years, 
and in the summer of 1824 they 
ventured upon the erection of a 
more comfortable home which is 
seen in stereograph No. 2. The 
house is on the left as you drive 
from Palmyra in the direction of 
Manchester, and faces west. In the 
view presented we are looking from 
the northwest and see the north end 
and west side or front of 
the house. The erection of 
this house was the especial 
labor of Alvin, the eldest son of the 
family, of whom the Prophet said 
in after years, "My brother Alvin 



28 



was the handsomest, and most phy- 
sically perfect man I have ever 
seen;" while his mother speaks of 
him as "a youth of singular good- 
ness of disposition, kind and 
amiable." In the erection of this 
home the one great joy of Alvin's 
heart was the pleasant prospect of 
seeing his father and mother com- 
fortable and happy in their old age. 
To the neighbors who watched the 
progress of the building he was 
known frequently to say : "I am go- 
ing to have a nice pleasant room 
for father and mother to sit in, and 
everything arranged for their com- 
fort. They shall not work any more 
as they have done." An utterance 
which breathes such filial love that 
it is not difficult to believe all his 
mother said of him. He was not 
destined, however, to see the fulfill- 
ment of his hopes. He was struck 
down in the midst of his joyous an- 
ticipations by the hand of death, and 
the family was prostrated with 
grief. As soon as they recovered 
from this shock, however, they re- 
newed their efforts to complete the 
house, and soon were comfortably 
settled in it. Here the fond mother 
had the pleasure cf welcoming 
home the bride of her eldest living 
son, Hyrum. His wife she describes 
as "one of the most excellent of 
women," and one with whom she 
had great happiness. Here, also, 
with "all the pride and ambition in 



29 



doing so that is common to moth- 
ers upon such occasions," she sub- 
sequently welcomed home the bride 
of her son Joseph. It was about 
the fireside of this old farm house 
that the Smith family gathered in 
the evenings of the long winter 
days and read the sacred scriptures ; 
a circumstance which led some of 
their neighbors to say, "the Smiths 
held school at their home and used 
the Bible as their text book." Jo- 
seph, the Prophet, in the innocence 
and gladness of his youth, at that 
same fireside, both amused and in- 
structed the family w r ith his lively 
descriptions of the customs and 
manners of the Nephites, "their 
dress, mode of traveling, the ani- 
mals upon which they rode, their 
cities, their buildings, with every 
particular; their mode of warfare, 
as also their religious worship. And 
all this he would do," says his 
mother, "with as much ease, seem- 
ingly, as if he had spent his whole 
life with them." To this old home 
the Prophet brought the sacred 
plates of the Book of Mormon. 
Here they were concealed in vari- 
ous parts of the house, to keep them 
from the sacriligious hands of those 
who sought their destruction. Mobs 
gathered about the doorways and 
windows of this home, disturbing 
and annoying the inmates ; watching 
an opportunity to purloin that which 
God had intrusted to the keeping 



30 



of this family. It was here, after 
the translation of the Book of Mor- 
mon was completed, that Oliver 
Cowdery made from the original 
manuscript, the copy that was 
used by the printer at Pal- 
myra. Each morning Hyrum 
Smith accompanied either by 
Oliver Cowdery or one of the 
members of the Smith family, 
trudged daily to Palmyra with the 
allotment of manuscript for the 
day's work, and back again in the 
evening with the proofs, until the 
great work of bringing forth this 
American volume of Scripture was 
accomplished. Sorrow sometimes 
crossed the threshold of this home 
to chasten the hearts of the inmates. 
No sooner was the house finished 
than a Mr. Stoddard, the chief car- 
penter in its construction, offered to 
purchase it for fifteen hundred dol- 
lars. Failing of this he joined with 
others to rob the Smith family of 
the fruits of years of industry; for 
by misrepresentation of the charac- 
ter and intentions of the family to 
the agent in chargt of the Everson 
estate, when but one more payment 
was due as a condition precedent to 
the securing of absolute title to the 
property, this Mr. Stoddard and his 
partners purchased the farm and 
threw its owners into consternation. 
By persistent energy and activity 
on the part of all, however, the im- 
mediate danger of losing the home 



3i 



was averted. The money for final 
payment was borrowed, the Ever- 
son agent satisfied; but to accom- 
plish this such obligations had to be 
i entered into with those from whom 
the money was borrowed that the 
Smiths had virtually placed them- 
selves at the mercy of a new land- 
lord ; and finally the time came when 
the home projected by Alvin and 
completed by the united industry of 
the whole family, had to be aban- 
doned. 

And so it happened that this old 
house known as the home of the 
Smiths, at Palmyra, is associated 
with some of the supremest joys and 
keenest sorrows of that remarkable 
family who built it. But if the true 
idea of a home, to paraphrase the 
words of a quaint American writer, 
includes something more than a 
place to live in; if it means a par- 
ticular spot in which the mind is 
developed, the character trained, 
and the affections fed ; if it. supposes 
a chain of associations by which 
mute material forms are linked to 
certain states of thought and moods 
of feeling, so that our joys and sor- 
rows, our struggles and triumphs, 
are chronicled on the walls of a 
house, the trunk of a tree, or the 
walks of a garden — in a word, if 
home is conceived of as a place sanc- 
tified by the commingling of joys 
and sorrows, then in the truest, 
noblest and best sense, this old 

3 



32 



house at Palmyra was a home to the 
Smiths; and, moreover, a typical, 
old-fashioned American home, such 
as cradled that noble race which 
founded the Great Republic of the 
Western World. 

3. Cumorah Hill, where the 
Prophet received the Golden 
Plates or Records of Book of 
Mormon, near Palmyra, New 
York. 

The Hill Cumorah lies on the east 
side of the road between Manches- 
ter and the town of Palmyra, in 
Wayne county, New York, about 
four miles south of the latter place, 
and a scant two miles south of the 
old Smith homestead just de- 
scribed. By the people in and 
about Palmyra and Manchester it is 
called "Mormon Hill" or "Mormon 
Bible Hill," because it was here that 
the Prophet Joseph Smith, directed 
by the angel Moroni, found hidden 
in a stone box the golden plates of 
the Nephite record, called the Book 
of Mormon. By the Jaredites, the 
people whom the Book of Mormon 
represents as migrating from the 
Euphrates valley to America in very 
ancient times, this hill was called 
Ramah, but the Nephites who suc- 
ceeded the Jaredites in the occupa- 
tion of the country gave it the name 
of Cumorah, and it was about this 
prominent landmark in western 



33 

New York that the Nephite nation 
was destroyed in a series of battles 
about the close of the fourth cen- 
tury A. D. 

Approaching Cumorah from the 
north one is confronted by the bold 
front of the hill which rises quite 
abruptly from the common level of 
the surrounding country ; and as the 
east and west slopes, as viewed from 
the north, seem about equal and 
regular, it looks from a distance as 
though it might be a large conical- 
shaped mound. Ascending its steep 
north side to the summit dispels the 
illusion, for one finds that he has 
but climbed the abrupt north end of 
a range of hill, having its greatest 
extent from north to south, and 
which from its very narrow summit 
broadens and slopes gently to the 
southward until it sinks to the com- 
mon level of the country. The east 
side of the hill is now plowed, but 
the west side is untouched by the 
husbandman, and about two or 
three hundred yards from the north 
end there is on the west side a small 
growth of young trees with here 
and there a decaying stump of a 
large tree to bear witness that the 
hill was once covered with a heavy 
growth of timber. 

Undoubtedly Cumorah is the 
most distinct landmark in all that 
section of country, the highest hill 
and the most commanding in an 
extensive plain sloping northward 



34 



filled with numerous hills and 
which, in the main, have their great- 
est extent, like Cumorah, from 
north to south; and also, 
like Cumorah, are generally 
highest at the north end. West of 
this notable hill the country is more 
open than on the south or east. The 
hills are fewer and the plain more 
extensive. Though the country 
south and east is broken and the 
numerous hills higher than on the 
west, yet such is the commanding 
height of Cumorah that the view is 
unobstructed for many miles. Some 
distance northward hills are thickly 
clustered. Between them and Cu- 
morah is located the town of Pal- 
myra, and beyond that, at the foot 
of the clustered hills referred to, 
runs what is now called Canagrie 
creek, really one of the tributaries of 
the Clyde river into which it emp- 
ties at no great distance. Such is 
the Hill Cumorah and its surround- 
ings. 

It was around this noted land- 
mark that the last battles of the 
terrible internecine war which end- 
ed in the complete destruction of the 
Jaredite nation were fought, early 
in the sixth century B. C. Here, 
also, according to the Book of Mor- 
mon, the Nephite nation was de- 
stroyed, as already remarked, about 
the close of the fourth century A. D. 
But it is not as a monument which 
marks these ancient battlefields that 



35 

Cumorah for us takes on its chief 
interest. It will be known more es- 
pecially to the present and future 
generations as the place where the 
golden plates of the Book of Mor- 
mon were discovered. During the 
night of the 21st of September, 
1823, the angel Moroni appeared to 
Joseph Smith at the home of his 
father, already described, and made 
known to him the existence of this 
ancient record, and also the place 
where it was deposited. While the 
angel was conversing with the 
Prophet about the plates the vision 
of Joseph's mind was opened that 
he saw the place where the plates 
were deposited, and that so clearly 
and distinctly that he knew the 
place when he visited it on the fol- 
lowing day. While the existence of 
the plates was made known to the 
Prophet on the above date, he did 
not obtain possession of them until 
four years had passed. Meantime 
he met Moroni annually at Cu- 
morah, and there received instruc- 
tions concerning the work of the 
Lord in the last days; how it was 
to be brought forth, how estab- 
lished and governed. 

The Nephite plates were found, 
according to Joseph Smith, "On the 
west side of this hill, not far from 
the top, under a stone of consider- 
able size;" and as we are looking 
across the hill to the northeast, a 
little to the right of its summit, and 



36 



a little way down the hill towards us 
-would be the point where the Book 
of Mormon was deposited. The 
stone box in which the record was 
concealed was formed by laying the 
stones together in some kind of ce- 
ment. In the bottom were laid two 
stones crosswise and on these lay 
the plates, together w r ith the "inter- 
preters/' or Urim and Thummim 
and breast plate. Following is the 
Prophet Joseph Smith's own de- 
scription of the plates and the man- 
ner in which he translated them : 

"These records were engraven on 
plates which had the appearance of 
gold, each plate was six inches wide 
and eight inches long, and not quite 
so thick as common tin. They were 
filled with engravings, in Egyptian 
characters, and bound together in a 
volume as the leaves of a book, with 
three rings running through the 
whole. The volume was something 
near six inches in thickness, a part 
of which was sealed. The charac- 
ters on the unsealed part were small, 
and beautifully engraved. The 
whole book exhibited many marks 
of antiquity in its construction, and 
much skill in the art of engraving. 
With the record was found 
a curious instrument, which the an- 
cients called 'Urim and Thummim/ 
which consisted of two transparent 
stones set in the rim of a bow fast- 
ened to a breast plate. Through 
the medium of the Urim and Thum- 



37 



mim I translated the record by the 
gift and power of God." 

4. The Mormon Temple at Kirt- 
land, Ohio, 59x79 feet — cost 
$70,000, Dedicated March 
27th, 1836. 

The Kirtland Temple was the 
first house of worship of any pre- 
tensions erected by the Latter-day 
Saints. It stands on the south 
bank of the Shagrin river on the 
crest of a commanding hill and 
faces east. It is about eighteen 
miles northeast of the city of Cleve- 
land and some six miles south of 
the shores of Lake Erie, the blue 
waters of the lake being plainly 
visible on a clear day from the tem- 
ple tower. It is a substantial struc- 
ture of quarried sandstone except 
the corners, which are of hewn 
blockstone six inches by nine in 
thickness and breadth, four feet in 
length, and so set as to project 
slightly from the face of the walls 
which are plastered on the outside 
with a coat of most excellent cement 
and a skim coat of crushed glass, 
the uncracked or unbroken state of 
which, after some seventy years of 
exposure, proclaims the excellence 
of the workmanship of the contrac- 
tors. The building is fifty-nine by 
seventy-nine feet outside measure- 
ment. The height of the walls, in- 
cluding the basement, is sixty feet 



38 



to the square, and the height to the 
top of the spire is one hundred and 
twenty feet. It would be difficult 
to classify the Kirtland Temple un- 
der any particular style of architec- 
ture. It will be sufficient to say 
that its architecture is severely plain. 
It has twelve gothic windows on 
each side, and ten dormer windows 
projecting from the roof, five 
on each side. There are also 
four dormer windows in the 
east end, and a more preten- 
tious arched window over the 
two doors which constitute the en- 
trance to the building. There are 
two main halls in the temple, one 
above the other, besides the base- 
ment and five rooms in the atic. 
The doors in the east lead to a ves- 
tibule ten by thirty-five feet, at each 
end of which is a smaller vestibule 
ten by ten feet, from which extends 
a spiral stair way to the upper floors 
and the tower. The auditorium on 
the first floor is fifty-five by sixty- 
five feet. Through this auditorium 
as also through the one above there 
are eight wooden pillars which ex- 
tend from stone butments in the 
basement to give support to floors 
and roof. The pulpits of this audi- 
torium are quite unique. There 
are four tiers of them in each end; 
those in the west end were designed 
for the presiding officers in the 
Melchiesdek Priesthood; those in 
the east, for the officers of the 



39 



Aaronic Priesthood, which are the 
two grand divisions of priesthood 
recognized in the Mormon hier- 
archy. The seats in the auditorium 
are generally described as box pews 
with adjustable backs, so that the 
pulpits in either end of the room 
could be faced by the auditors. An- 
other unique arrangement about 
this auditorium was its division into 
four compartments by an arrange- 
ment of canvas curtains dropped 
from the ceiling so that on occasion 
four separate meetings could be 
conducted at the same time without 
the least interfering with each other. 
The upper auditorium was similar- 
ly arranged while the attic floor is 
divided into five rooms for class and 
committee purposes. 

The corner stones of this struc- 
ture were laid on the 23rd of July, 
1833, and the building was com- 
pleted and ready for dedication on 
the 27th of March, 1836, so that it 
was some three years in course of 
construction. The cost of it has 
been variously estimated at from 
forty to seventy thousand dollars. 
Perhaps an equal distance from 
these two extremes would represent 
the true cost. How this structure 
came to be located in Ohio instead 
of in the state of New York, where 
Mormonism arose, cannot fail to be 
of interest. 

Some eight or nine months after 
the Church had been organized at 



40 



Fayette in Seneca county, New 
York, which organization, as before 
stated, took place on the 6th of 
April, 1830, the Saints in New York 
were commanded by revelation 
from God to assemble in Ohio. 
This is recognized as the first com- 
mandment given in. this dispensa- 
tion to the Saints to gather togeth- 
er. The commandment was 
doubtless given because of the spirit 
of bitter intolerance manifested 
against the Saints in New York, on 
the one hand and on the other Ohio 
promised a more flourishing field 
for the new faith. The Elders of 
the first mission organized by the 
Church, Oliver Cowdery, Parley P. 
Pratt, John Whitmer and Ziba Pe- 
terson, on their way westward 
along the southern shores of lake 
Erie, in the vicinity of Mentor and 
Kirtland Mills, found a people will- 
ing to listen to their testimony, and 
a considerable number joined the 
Church, including Sidney Rigdon, 
an influential minister of the sect of 
the Disciples (Campbellites), Ed- 
ward Parti idge, and others. In 
obedience to the above named com- 
mandment to gather in Ohio, the 
Prophet Joseph Smith with his fam- 
ily removed to this aforesaid section 
of Ohio, in January, 1831, and some 
time later was followed by nearly 
all of the New York Saints. Here 
he remained for some time and large 
numbers were added to the Church. 



4i 

It soon became apparent that it was 
necessary for the Elders in the 
Church to be assembled together 
and more fully instructed in the 
doctrines of the new dispensation, 
and hence a school of the Elders, 
sometimes called a school of the 
Prophets, was commanded to be or- 
ganized. For such organization a 
building was necessary, and conse- 
quently on the 4th of May, 1833, at 
a conference of High Priests held 
in Kirkland the necessity of build- 
ing such a house was taken under 
advisement and a committee ap- 
pointed to obtain subscriptions for 
the purpose of erecting a suitable 
building for the purposes con- 
templated. The outcome of the 
undertaking was the Kirtland Tem- 
ple. During its dedication which 
continued through several days, be- 
ginning on the 27th of March, 1836, 
in order that all members of the 
Church within reach might partake 
' of the privilege of the ceremonies, 
vast throngs crowded the building 
from day to day, and during the 
ceremonies conducted by the several 
quorums of the priesthood, the 
washing of feet, anointing with oil, 
prayer and sacramental ministra- 
tions, marvelous visions and the 
visitation of angels made it a pente- 
costal time for the Church of Christ 
in this new dispensation. Most im- 
portant of all the heavenly ministra- 
tions were the great visions granted 



42 



to the Prophet Joseph Smith and 
Oliver Cov/dery which are thus de- 
scribed by them : 

"The veil was taken from our 
minds, and the eyes of our under- 
standing were opened. We saw the 
Lord standing upon the breast work 
of the pulpit, before us, and under 
his feet was a paved work of pure 
gold in color like amber. His eyes 
were as a flame of fire, the hair of 
his head was white like the pure 
snow, his countenance shone above 
the brightness of the sun, and his 
voice was as the sound of the rush- 
ing of great waters, even the voice 
of Jehovah, saying: I am the first 
and the last, I am he who liveth, I 
am he who was slain, I 
am your advocate with the 
Father. Behold, your sins are 
forgiven you, you are clean be- 
fore me, therefore lift up your heads 
and rejoice, let the hearts of your 
brethren rejoice, and let the hearts 
of all my people rejoice, who have, 
with their might, built this house to 
my name, for behold, I have ac- 
cepted this house, and my name 
shall be here, and I will manifest 
myself to my people in mercy in this 
house, yea, I will appear unto my 
servants, and speak unto them with 
mine own voice, if my people will 
keep my commandments, and do not 
pollute this holy house. Yea the 
hearts of thousands and tens of 
thousands shall greatly rejoice in 



43 



shall be poured out, and the endow- 
ment with which my servants have 
been endowed in this house ; and the 
fame of this house shall spread to 
foreign lands, and this is the begin- 
ning of the blessing which shall be 
poured out upon the heads of my 
people. Even so. Amen. 

"After this vision closed, the heav- 
ens were again opened unto us, and 
Moses appeared before us, and com- 
mitted unto us the keys of the gath- 
ering of Israel from the four parts 
of the earth, and the leading of the 
ten tribes from the land of the north. 

"After this, Elias appeared, and 
committed the dispensation of the 
gospel of Abraham, saying, that in 
us, and our seed, all generations 
after us should be blessed. After 
this vision had closed, another great 
and glorious vision burst upon us, 
for Elijah the prophet, who was 
taken to heaven without tasting 
death, stood before us, and said : 
Behold, the time has fully come, 
which was spoken of by the mouth 
of Malachi, testifying that he 
(Elijah) should be sent before the 
great and dreadful day of the Lord 
come, to turn the hearts of the fath- 
ers to the children, and the children 
to the fathers, lest the whole earth 
be smitten with a curse. Therefore 
the keys of this dispensation are 
committed into your hands, and by 
this ye may know that the great and 



44 



dreadful day of the Lord is near, 
even at the doors/' 

After the dedication services were 
ended and some time had been spent 
in giving instructions to the Elders 
to more thoroughly prepare them for 
the work of the ministry, they went 
forth from Kirtland in great spirit- 
ual power preaching the gospel 
wherever they could find or make an 
opening, and the impetus given to 
the work vindicated the wisdom 
which directed the building of the 
Kirtland Temple, though it taxed 
the few Saints which then comprised 
the membership of the Church, and 
who in the main were not rich in the 
goods of this world, to their utter- 
most capacity ; and much embarrass- 
ment was afterwards experienced by 
the Church in consequence of the in- 
debtedness incurred in erecting this 
Temple. 

5. North over Temple Lot. Sight 
Marked by Mormon Prophecy 
for World's Greatest Temple, 
Independence, Mo. 

From Kirtland, in the northeast- 
ern part of Ohio, to the site of the 
future chief Temple of Zion, shown 
in stereograph No. 5, is a mighty 
stride. Still, in the chronological 
order of events in the story of Mor- 
monism, and consequently of our 
tour, the Temple Lot at Independ- 
ence, Missouri, must now receive 



■ 



45 



consideration. It is revealed in the 
Book of Mormon that a great city is 
to be founded in this western world 
that will be called Zion, a New 
Jerusalem. It is written that "Out 
of Zion shall go forth the law, and 
the word of the Lord from Jerusa- 
lem." Enlightened by the knowl- 
edge which comes from the Book of 
Mormon, the Latter-day Saints hold 
that two cities are here referred to 
by Isaiah — the capitals of the east- 
ern and western hemispheres respec- 
tively. One from which the word 
of the Lord will yet go forth, and 
from the other His Law, The reve- 
lation of so great a truth to the early 
Elders of the Church was well nigh 
overwhelming. Zion, the New Jeru- 
salem, was a constant theme ot 
thought and conversation among 
them. Where would be its location ? 
What the character of its buildings ? 
What the nature of its government ? 
Would they be honored to lay its 
foundations? Would they and their 
children have an inheritance in the 
holy city? These questions were 
often discussed. Meantime Joseph 
Smith and many of the New York 
Saints removed to Kirtland, Ohio; 
and here further knowledge was re- 
ceived on the subject of Zion. From 
Kirtland a number of Elders were to 
be sent into the western States to 
call upon the inhabitants to repent, 
and inasmuch as they would repent 
they were to build up churches unto 



4 6 






the Lord, and later, with one heart 
and mind, were to gather up their 
riches and purchase an inheritance 
which should be appointed unto 
them. "And it shall be called the 
New Jerusalem/' said the Lord, "a 
land of peace, a city of refuge, a 
place of safety for the Saints of the 
Most High God; and the glory of 
the Lord shall be there, insomuch 
that the wicked will not come unto 
it, and it shall be called Zion. And 
it shall come to pass among the 
wicked that every man that will not 
take his sword against his neighbor, 
must needs flee unto Zion for safe- 
ty." This revelation was given in 
March, 1831. The following June 
a conference of the Church as- 
sembled at which twenty-eight El- 
ders were chosen to go in different 
directions through the western states 
two and two preaching by the way, 
"baptizing by water, and the laying 
on of hands by the water's side." 
These Elders were to meet in west- 
ern Missouri and there learn the lo- 
cation of Zion. After many hard- 
ships in their journey a majority of 
these Elders, together with the 
Prophet Joseph Smith, met at Inde- 
pendence, Missouri. "When will 
Zion be built up in her glory," asked 
the Prophet of the Lord; "and 
where will Thy temple stand unto 
which all nations shall come in the 
last days?" The brethren were 
not long left in doubt upon this sub- 



47 



ject, for shortly afterwards a revela- 
tion was given in which the Lord 
declared that Missouri was the land 
which the Lord had appointed and 
consecrated for the gathering of His 
people. "Wherefore, this is the 
land of promise/' said the Lord, 
"and the place for the city of Zion ; 
and behold the place which is now 
called Independence is the centre 
place, and the spot for the Temple is 
lying westward upon a lot which is 
not far from the court house." The 
Saints were commanded to purchase 
this land and that lying westward, to 
the extent of their ability, that they 
might obtain it as an "everlasting in- 
heritance." 

The site for the Temple in Zion is 
a scant half mile west of the court 
house in Independence, and is the 
crown of a hill. A gentle hill, 
of mild declivity, across which, 
in the stereograph, we are look- 
ing northward, and as now 
fenced off, is about an acre and a 
half in area, perhaps more. The only 
building in the enclosure is a small 
two-story frame building on the 
right, erected a few years ago by an 
association of people known as Hed- 
rickites. The Temple site is doubt- 
less the highest point of land in this 
region of country, and from it, es- 
pecially when looking east and 
south, one gets a panoramic view 
of alternating fields and woodlands, 
of gently rolling hills and stretches 



48 



of open plain, as grand as may be 
seen within the confines of the Unit- 
ed States. 

When the Temple site was first 
made known to Jeseph Smith and 
his associates, it was covered with 
a heavy growth of timber, and here 
in one of God's first temples — a 
beautiful grove — on the 3rd of Au- 
gust, 1 83 1, the Prophet and his as- 
sociates assembled and dedicated the 
place as the chief Temple site of the 
future Zion. In the course of the 
simple but impressive ceremonies 
then conducted, the 87th Psalm was 
read: 

"His foundation is the holy moun- 
tains. 

The Lord loveth the gates of Zion 
more than all the dwellings of Jacob. 

Glorious things are spoken of 
thee, O city of God. 

I will make mention of Rahab and 
Babylon to them that know me ; be- 
hold Philistia and Tyre, with 
Ethiopia : this man was born there. 

And of Zion it shall be said, This 
and that man was born in her; and 
the Highest Himself shall establish 
her. 

The Lord shall count when he 
writeth up the people, that this man 
was born there. 

As well the singers as the players 
on instrucments shall be there : all 
my springs (i. e. hopes) are in 
thee." 

The Prophet then dedicated the 






49 



spot where the Temple is to be built 
— a temple, by the way, on which the 
glory of God shall visibly rest ; yea, 
God has declared it, saying : "Verily 
this generation shall not pass away 
until an house shall be built unto 
the Lord, and a cloud shall rest upon 
it, which cloud shall be even the 
glory of the Lord which shall fill the 
house; the sons of Moses and also 
the sons of Aaron shall offer an ac- 
ceptable offering and sacrifice in the 
house of the Lord, which house shall 
be built unto the Lord in this 
generation, upon the consecrated 
spot as I have appointed." 

An item of interest in connection 
with this theme is the fact that in the 
year 1904 the Church authorities at 
Salt Lake City, Utah, purchased a 
tract of land of some twenty-six 
acres formerly owned by the 
Church, and adjoining the lot shown 
in stereograph No. 5. 

6. Ruins of jail where Joseph 
Smith, Hyrum Smith, and 
other Mormon Leaders were 
Imprisoned, Liberty, Mo. 

Liberty Jail ! At first glance how 
paradoxical the title. Liberty and 
prison are altogether antithetical 
and are supposed to have nothing in 
common, but when it is known that 
this particular prison is associated 
with liberty simply because it stands 
in a little Missouri town of that 



50 



name — the county seat of Clay coun- 
ty, and about fifteen miles directly 
north of Independence — the seem- 
ing paradox vanishes. As will be 
seen by reference to the stereograph 
of this Mormon historical monu- 
ment, Liberty prison is now fallen 
Into ruins. The structure is built 
of rough dressed limestone, the sur- 
face of which is of a yellowish color. 
It faces east and is about two hun- 
dred yards from the court house. Its 
dimensions are about twenty by 
twenty-two feet and the walls are 
two feet thick. It had a heavy 
door in the east made strong and of 
considerable thickness by spiking 
inch oak planks together. In the 
south side there was a small opening 
a foot and a half square with strong 
iron bars, two inches apart, firmly 
imbedded in the stones of the wall. 
The contract for erecting this build- 
ing was let in April, 1833, and in the 
December following the jail was 
completed. It cost the county six 
"hundred dollars, Solomon Fry being 
the contractor. 

It was within these gloomy walls 
that the Prophet Joseph Smith en- 
dured some of the most cruel suffer- 
ings that were crowded into his 
eventful life. For several months 
during the winter of 1838-9 he was 
imprisoned within the rude walls of 
this old structure awaiting a trial for 
offenses charged against himself and 
brethren during the troubles in up- 



5i 



I per Missouri in the fall of 183&. 

1 Those imprisoned with him were his 

1 brother Hyrum Smith, Lyman: 

1 Wight, Caleb Baldwin, Alexander 

McRae and Sidney Rigdon; but the 

last named prisoner was admitted to 

bail after a short time of imprison- 

'ment, owing to the delicate state of 

his health. 

The rise of persecution against: 
the Latter-day Saints in Missouri,, 
which culminated in the expulsion of 
1 upwards of twelve hundred of them 
from their homes in Jackson county „ 
in the winter of 1833; as a l so their 
subsequent settlement in several 
counties north of the Missouri river 
in 1836, together with the final ex- 
I pulsion of some fifteen thousand of 
the Saints from the confines of Mis- 
souri, in 1838, under the exterminat- 
ing order of the governor of the 
state, Lilburn W. Boggs, and 
| executed by the state militia,, 
are circumstances, which be- 
I long rather to the domain of history 
! than to this booklet. It will be suf- 
1 ficient here to say that the measures 
taken by the Saints for self protec- 
tion were construed into acts of ag- 
gressive warfare; and acts of self- 
defense were made criminal. It was 
for his connection with these meas- 
ures of self protection and self-de- 
fense that the Prophet and his asso- 
ciates were arraigned before courts 
where well known mobocrats sat as 
judges, and imprisoned these men 



52 



to await the slow process of courts 
reluctant to bring them to trial lest 
the exposure of the proceedings in 
upper Missouri would bring re- j 
proach upon the state. We are con- 
cerned here, however, only with Lib- 
erty jail and the Prophet's life with- 
in its walls. His suffering was great 
and went far beyond the irritation 
which comes to active spirits when 
confined, the filthy and unwholesome 
food and the petty tyranny of un- 
friendly guards. The Prophet could 
not forget that while he himself was 
compelled to endure this enforced in- 
activity his own family and the en- 
tire Church, stripped of their earthly 
possessions, were being driven from 
the state at an inclement season of 
the year under circumstances of ex- 
treme cruelty. It was reflecting up- 
on these conditions which wrung 
from him the soul-cry with which 
one of his revelations opens : — 

"O God ! where are thou ? And 
where is the pavilion that covereth 
thy hiding place? How long shall 
thy hand be stayed, and thine eye, 
yea thy pure eye, behold from the 
eternal heavens, the wrongs of thy 
people, and of thy servants, and 
thine ear be penetrated with their 
cries? Yea, O Lord, how long 
shall they suffer these wrongs and 
unlawful oppressions, before thine 
heart shall be softened towards 
them, and thy bowels be moved with 
compassion towards them ? v 



53 



To which the Lord made answer : 

"My son, peace be unto thy soul ; 
thine adversity and thine afflictions 
shall be but a small moment; and 
then, if thou endure it well, God 
shall exalt thee on high; thou shalt 
triumph over all thy foes ; thy 
friends do stand by thee, and they 
shall hail thee again, with warm 
hearts and friendly hands ; thou art 
not yet as Job; thy friends do not 
contend against thee, neither charge 
thee with transgression, as they did 
Job; and they who do charge 
thee with transgression, their hope 
shall be blasted, and their prospects 
shall melt away as the hoar frost 
melteth before the burning rays of 
the rising sun. * * * * * * * 
The ends of the earth shall enquire 
after thy name, and fools shall have 
thee in derision, and hell shall rage 
against thee, while the pure in heart, 
and the wise, and the noble, and the 
virtuous, shall seek counsel, and au- 
thority, and blessings constantly 
from under thy hand, and thy people 
shall never be turned against thee by 
the testimony of traitors. " 

In the foregoing may be observed 
a prophecy which has met with re- 
markable fulfillment — the Prophet's 
people have never been turned 
against him by the testimony of 
traitors, however determined they 
may have been in such efforts. 

It was not all gloom in Liberty 
prison either during the time the 



54 



Prophet and his brethren occupied 
it. As in all cases where the ser- 
vants of God are imprisoned, the 
sweet and peaceful influences of the 
Holy Spirit were enjoyed. With- 
in those gloomy prison walls some 
important revelations were received ; 
petitions and remonstrances drafted, 
and letters of counsel and direction 
written to the Saints by the Prophet 
and his associates. Friends visited 
them from time to time, to assure 
the Prophet of their esteem and con- 
fidence. The wives of some of the 
prisoners, including the Prophet's, 
visited them to enquire of their wel- 
fare and take their leave of them 
before departing from the state. 

The Prophet and his brethren 
having no confidence in the integrity 
of the courts in Missouri, and con- 
scious of their own innocence, made 
several efforts to escape from Lib- 
erty jail, but without success. In 
April the prisoners were taken to 
Daviess county for trial, but finding 
Judge Thomas C. Birch on the 
bench, a man who had been connect- 
ed with the courtmartial which had 
condemned the prosoners to be shot 
in the public square at Far West, but 
a few months before, they asked for 
a change of venue to Marion county. 
This was denied, but one was given 
them to Boone county. Judge Birch 
made out the mitimus without date, 
name or place and the prisoners en- 
route for the next place of trial, with 



55 



the connivance of their guards, made 
their escape, and ten days later ar- 
rived among their friends, who 
meantime had gathered to the city 
of Quincy and vicinity, in Illinois. 

It may be true that prisons, like 
chains, survive the captives they en- 
thrall ; but in this instance the prison 
does not survive the work of its 
most illustrious captives ; for while 
the prison hastens to its ruin, the 
work for which these Mormon pris- 
oners stood, flourishes in a mightier 
strength than it ever knew in Mis- 
souri. 

7. Apostle Lyman Wight's House 
at Adam-ondi-Ahnian, near 
Gallatin, Daviess Co., Mo. 

A typical old Missouri home, of 
fifty years ago, is the house of Ly- 
man Wight at "Adam-ondi- 
Ahman," located on the north bank 
of the Grand river in Daviess coun- 
ty. It is about fifty miles north- 
east of the town of Liberty, where 
is located our last view. The 
house was built in the spring of 
1838 for Lyman Wight, at that time 
a prominent and valiant Elder in 
the Church, and subsequently made 
one of the Twelve Apostles. He 
was a man of great force of char- 
acter, possessed an absolutely fear- 
less spirit which gave almost an air 
of desperation to his conduct. He 
was strong in his friendships, and 



56 



especially devoted to the Prophet 
Joseph Smith. He took an active 
part in all the defensive measures 
adopted to secure the safety of the 
Saints in Missouri, and his name 
was a terror to the mobocrats in 
upper Missouri during the trouble- 
ous times of 1837-8. 

His old homestead is shown in 
stereograph No. 7. It is of inter- 
est chiefly because it was the place 
where Joseph Smith frequently 
gathered his brethren about him in 
councils in those dark days of Mis- 
souri mob violence ; and also because 
of its proximity to Adam-ondi- 
Ahman. It must be explained that 
Adam-onhi-Ahman is the name of 
an old altar that was somewhat after 
the fashion of those found in an- 
cient mounds of North America, and 
called "Altar Mounds/' though this 
altar was not covered by a mound. 
When the Prophet first visited this 
locality in May, 1838, a number of 
families of the Saints had been liv- 
ing there several months and called 
their settlement "Spring Hill," but 
the Prophet declared that it should 
be named Adam-ondi-Ahman as 
the Lord had revealed it to him that 
this was the place where Adam, the 
Ancient of Days, spoken of by 
Daniel the prophet (Daniel VII), 
should come to visit his people. It 
will be seen, therefore, that this 
place in the Grand river valley is of 
very great importance in the eyes 



57 



of those who have faith in Mormon- 
ism, and justifies the following de- 
scription and historical account of it. 
Adam-ondi-Ahman, or Diahman, 
as it is familiarly known to the 
Saints, is located on the north bank 
of Grand river. It is situated, in 
fact, in a sharp bend of that 
stream. The river comes sweeping 
dow r n from the northwest, and here 
makes a sudden turn and runs in a 
meandering course to the northeast 
for some tw r o or three miles, when 
it as suddenly makes another bend 
and flows again to the southeast. 
Grand river is a stream that has 
worn a deep channel for itself, and 
left its banks precipitous ; but at 
Diahman that is only true of the 
south bank. The stream, as it 
rushes from the northwest, struck 
the high prairie land which at this 
point contains beds of limestone, and 
not being able to cut its wav 
through, it veered off to the north- 
eats, and left that height of land 
standing like palisades which rise 
very abruptly from the stream to a 
height of from fifty to seventy-five 
feet ; but the summit of these bluffs 
is the common level of the high roll- 
ing prairie, extending off in the di- 
rection of Far West. The bluffs on 
the north bank recede some distance 
from the stream, so that the river 
bottom at this point widens out to a 
small valley. The bluffs on the 
north bank of the river are by no 



58 



means as steep as those on the 
south, and are covered with a light 
growth of timber. A ridge runs 
out from the main line of the bluffs 
into the river bottom some two or 
three hundred yards, approaching 
the stream at the point where the 
bend of the river is made. The ter- 
mination of the bluff is quite abrupt, 
and overlooks a considerable por- 
tion of the river bottom. On the 
brow of the bluff stood the old stone 
altar, and near the foot of it was 
built the house of Lyman Wight, 
When the altar was first discovered, 
according to those who visited it 
frequently, it was about sixteen feet 
long, by nine or ten feet wide, hav- 
ing its greatest extent north and 
south. The height of the altar at 
each end was some two and a half 
feet, gradually rising higher to the 
centre, which was between four and 
five feet high — the whole surface be- 
ing crowning. Such was the altar 
at Diahman when the Mormons 
found it. Now, however, it is 
thrown down, and nothing but a 
mound of crumbling stones mixed 
with soil, and a few reddish boulders 
mark the spot which is doubtless 
rich in historic events. It was at 
this altar, according to the testimony 
of Joseph Smith, that the patriarchs 
associated with Adam and his com- 
pany, assembled to worship their 
God. Here their evening and morn- 
ing prayers ascended to heaven with 



59 



the smoke of the burning sacrifice, 
and here angels instructed them in 
heavenly truths. 

North of the ridge on which the 
ruins of the altar are found, and 
running parallel with it, is another 
ridge, separated from the first by a 
depression varying in width from 
fifty to a hundred yards. This small 
valley with the larger one through 
which flows Grand river, is the val- 
ley of Adam-ondi-Ahman. Three 
years previous to the death of Adam, 
declares one of the Prophet Joseph's 
revelations, the Patriarchs Seth, 
Enos, Cainan, Mahalaleel, Jared, 
Enoch and Methuselah, together 
with all their righteous posterity, 
were assembled in this valley we 
have described, and their common 
father, Adam, gave them his last 
blessing. And even as he blessed 
them, the heavens were opened, and 
the Lord appeared, and in the pres- 
ence of God, the children of Adam 
arose and blessed him, and called 
him Michael, the Prince, the Arch- 
angel. The Lord also blessed 
Adam, saying: "I have set thee 
to be the head — a multitude of na- 
tions shall come of thee, and thou 
art a prince over them for ever." So 
great was the influence of this double 
blessing upon Adam, that, though 
bowed down with age, under the 
outpouring of the Spirit of God, he 
predicted what should befall his 
posterity to their latest generations. 



6o 



Interest in the valley of Diahman 
is not confined to the past, however ; 
it is connected with the future also; 
for it is in this same valley, as the 
Saints believe, that the Ancient of 
Days will come and meet with his 
posterity as described by the prophet 
Daniel : "When thousand thou- 
sands shall minister to him, and ten 
thousand times ten thousand shall 
stand before him." Here is where 
the books shall be opened and the 
judgment shall sit. Here, too, the 
Son of Man shall appear in the 
clouds of heaven to this vast multi- 
tude, and coming to the Ancient of 
Days shall give to him dominion and 
glory, and issue a decree that all 
people, nations and languages shall 
serve and obey him ; and his domin- 
ion shall be everlasting, and his 
kingdom one that shall never be de- 
stroyed. Such were the scenes of 
the past enacted in the Valley of 
Diahman ; such are to be the splen- 
did scenes enacted there in the fu- 
ture. Meantime this old and fast 
decaying house of Lyman Wight's, 
shown in stereograph No. 7, is the 
only monument that now marks a 
spot sacred to the Latter-day Saints. 

NAUVOO. 

Scenes in the city of Nauvoo next 
occupy our attention. Nauvoo is 
the name which the Saints gave to 
their city on the banks of the Mis- 



6i 



sissippi. It is a Hebrew word mean- 
ing ''beautiful, and carrying with 
it the idea of rest." The loca- 
tion of the city is beautiful. No 
sooner does one corne in view of it 
than he exclaims, "It is rightly 
named." The city, or at least the 
marred remains of it, stands on a 
bold point around which sweeps the 
placid, yet majestic "Father of Wa- 
ters" — the Mississippi. The city is 
at least half encircled by that noble 
stream. From the bank of the river 
the ground rises gradually for at 
least a mile, when it reaches the 
common level of the prairies, which 
stretch out to the eastward, fur- 
ther than the eye can reach, in a 
beautiful undulating surface, once 
covered by a luxuriant growth of 
natural grasses and wild flowers, re- 
lieved here and there by patches of 
timber; but now chequered with 
meadows, and fields of waving corn. 
Opposite Nauvoo, on the west bank 
of the river, the bluffs rise rather 
abruptly, almost from the water's 
edge, and are covered, for the most 
part, with a fine growth of timber. 
Nestling at the foot of one of the 
highest of these bluffs, and imme- 
diately on the bank of the* river is 
the little village of Montrose. Back 
of the bluffs before mentioned, rolls 
off the alternate woodlands and 
fields of Iowa. Between Montrose 
and Nauvoo, and perhaps two-thirds 
of the distance across the river from 



62 



the Illinois side, is an island, from 
three-fourths of a mile to a mile in 
length, and from fifty to one or two 
hundred yards in width, having its 
greatest extent north and south. 

Nauvoo is just at the head of 
what are called the Des Moines 
Rapids, in the extreme western por- 
tion of Hancock county, about 
190 miles above St. Louis. 
Such is the location of Nauvoo and 
its immediate surroundings. Before 
the lands in this vicinity were pur- 
chased by the Saints, the little settle- 
ment, consisting of one stone house, 
three brick houses and two block 
houses, was called Commerce. The 
place is described by the Prophet 
Joseph as being literally a wilder- 
ness. "The land/' he says, "was 
mostly covered with trees and 
bushes, and much of it was so wet 
that it was with the utmost difficulty 
a footman could go through and to- | 
tally impossible for teams. Com- 
mrce was unhealthful. Very few 
lived there, but believing that it 
might become a healthful place by 
the blessing of heaven to the Saints, 
and no more elligible place present- 
ing itself, I considered it wisdom to 
make an attempt to build up a city." 

Nauvoo was incorporated by act 
of the legislature of Illinois, on the 
fourteenth of December, 1840. The 
charter granted on that date de- 
scribed the boundaries of the city, 
but gave to the citizens — whom it 



63 



created a body corporate and politic 
— the right to extend the area of the 
city whenever any tract of land ad- 
joining should have been laid out 
into town lots and recorded accord- 
ing to law. The city council was 
to consist of a mayor, four alder- 
men and nine councilors, to be elect- 
ed by the qualified voters of the city. 
The first Monday in February, 
1841, was appointed for the first 
election of officers. 

The charter granted to the citi- 
zens of Nauvoo the most plenary 
powers in the management of their 
local affairs. Indeed, about the only 
limit placed upon their powers was, 
that they do nothing inconsistent 
with the constitution of the United 
States, and the state constitution of 
Illinois. But inside of those lines 
they were all powerful to make and 
execute such ordinances as in the 
wisdom of the city council were nec- 
essary for the peace, good order, 
and general welfare of the city. It 
afterwards became a question in the 
state as to whether or not powers 
too great had not been granted to 
the city government. The leading 
men of the state, however, appeared 
not only willing but anxious to grant 
the privileges of this city govern- 
ment to the Saints. An incident . 
connecting Abraham Lincoln with 
he passage of this charter may not 
be without interest. The State of 

Ulinois was at that time divided into 

5 



64 



two political parties, Whigs and 
Democrats. Both parties were 
friendly to the Saints, who consid- 
ered themselves equally bound to 
both parties for acts of kindness. 
Lincoln was a Whig, and in the No- 
vember election his name was on the 
State electoral ticket as a Whig 
candidate for the State legislature. 
But many of the people of Nauvoo, 
wishing to divide their vote, and to 
show a kindness to the Democrats, 
erased the name of Lincoln, and 
substituted that of Ralston, a Demo- 
crat. It was with no ill feeling, 
however, towards Mr. Lincoln that 
this was done, and when the vote 
was called on the final passage of 
the Nauvoo charter, he had the 
magnanimity to vote for it; and 
congratulated John C. Bennett 
(then a prominent Mormon having 
the charter in hand before the legis- 
lature) on his success in securing its 
^enactment. 

The Saints rejoiced in the pros- 
pects of liberty secured to them by 
their city government, and of it 
Joseph said : "I concocted it for the 
salvation of the Church, and on 
principles so broad, that every hon- 
est man might dwell secure under its 
protecting influence, without dis- 
tinction of sect or party." An in- 
spection of the charter will bear out 
this opinion of it, for while it wa^ 
**concoted for the salvation of the 
'Church/' it by no means secured 



65 



that salvation by trespassing upon 
the rights of others, but by recog- 
nizing the rights of the Saints to be 
equal to the rights of other citizens. 
Nor was it intended that Nauvoo 
should be an exclusive city for peo- 
ple of the Mormon faith; on the 
contrary, all worthy people were in- 
vited to come and assist to build it 
up and partake of its liberty and 
anticipated prosperity. An official 
proclamation by the First Presi- 
idency of the Church, contains the 
following passage : "We wish it 
likewise to be distinctly understood, 
that we claim no privileges but what 
we feel cheerfully disposed to share 
with our fellow-citizens of every de- 
nomination, and every sentiment of 
religion; and therefore say, that so 
far from being restricted to our own 
faith, let all those who desire to lo- 
cate in this place (Nauvoo) or the 
vicinity, come, and we will hail them 
as citizens and friends, and shall feel 
it not only a duty, but a privilege to 
reciprocate the kindness we have re- 
ceived from the benevolent and 
kind-hearted citizens of the State of 
Illinois." 

The Prophet's '"attempt" to build 
up a city on these principles was 
successful ; for in the course of four 
or five years the city of Nauvoo 
arose out of the wilderness and 
boggs of Commerce and became a 
prosperous manufacturing and com- 
mercial city of upwards of twenty 



66 



thousand inhabitants, surrounded by 
as beautiful a farming country as 
may be found anywhere in the Mis- 
sissippi valley ; and it has associated 
with its rise and fall many stirring 
historical events, both of local and 
world-wide fame. 

8. Looking east along Mulholland 
Street, from south side of 
Temple Block, Nauvoo, Illi- 
nois. 

The first view within the city of 
Nauvoo, finds us standing on Mul- 
holland Street looking directly east 
from the south side of the block on 
which the Temple stood* Mulhol- 
land Street runs directly through 
the center of the city east and west. 
It was named after James Mulhol- 
land, who for a time was the private 
secretary to the Prophet Joseph. In 
the orgnization affected for the pur- 
chase of lands in Commerce and vi- 
cinity in 1839, Joseph Smith was 
made treasurer and James Mulhol- 
land sub-treasurer. Mulholland was 
active in assisting to settle the 
Saints at Commerce, but he died on 
the 3rd of November, 1839, at the 
age of thirty-five. The Prophet 
speaks of him as a man of "fine edu- 
cation, a faithful scribe and Elder in 
the Church." 

Mulholland street is now the 
main business thoroughfare of 
Nauvoo. In the foreground on 



6 7 



the right is the Ochsner building; 
and on the left is the Reimbold 
building, on the corner of Wood- 
ruff and Mulholland Streets. The 
Nauvoo postoffice is located in this 
building, fronting Mulholland 
Street. In the same block, stands the 
old Nauvoo Expositor building, be- 
fore which was enacted one of the 
most exciting scenes connected with 
the history of Nauvoo, viz. the de- 
struction of the Expositor press and 
scattering of its type in the street, 
by order of the city council, which 
action did so much to influence the 
public mind against the citizens of 
Nauvoo in the fateful year of 1844. 
: The whole business centre of Nau- 
1 voo at present is seen in this one 
view. How different it might have 
been had the Saints been permitted 
to have remained in Nauvoo, the 
beautiful, the city of Joseph ! 

I 9. The Temple of Nauvoo, Illinois, 
88x128 feet, corner stone laid 
April 6, 1841 ; burned Novem- 
ber 10, 1848. 

Moving westward one half block 
along Mulholland Street, thence 
north one half block on Woodruff 
Street, and we front the Nauvoo 
Temple site, where once stood the 
magnificent building shown in 
stereograph No. 9. The building 
rose sixty-five feet from the ground 
to the roof. It was of light gray cut 



68 



limestone, and stood eighty-eight by 
one hundred and twenty-eight feet in 
dimensions. It had a basement, two 
main stories and attic rooms in the 
squared west end. In the latter 
also was inscribed in golden letters 
the following : 

THE 

HOUSE OF THE LORD, 

BUILT BY THE CHURCH OF 

JESUS CHRIST 

OF LATTER DAY SAINTS 

HOLINESS TO THE LORD. 

The walls were strengthened by 
thirty cut stone pilasters, nine on 
each side and six at each end. The 
bases of these pilasters were crescent 
moons, the capitals, two and one- 
half feet broad, were suns in which 
were outlined the human face sur- 
mounted by two hands holding 
trumpets. There were four tiers 
of windows, two gothic, two circu- 
lar. The main entrance was through 
three arched open passages to a ves- 
tibule whence doors lead into the 
lower court, and on the right and 
left of the vestibule were the stair- 
ways leading to the upper court. In 
the basement was located the bap- 
tismal font resting on twelve oxen, 
life size, and here baptisms were 
performed both for the living and 
the dead, in accordance with Mor- 



6 9 



mon doctrine upon that subject. The 
whole structure is supposed to have 
cost upwards of one million dollars. 

The corner stones of the Temple 
were laid in the midst of much 
pomp and ceremony on the 6th of 
April, 1841. In those days of our 
republic much pride was taken in the^ 
militia of the respective states, the 
citizen soldiery composing it being- 
the chief reliance of the respective 
states and the nation for whatever 
of offensive or defensive warfare 
might be necessary. Consequently 
in many merely civic and even re- 
ligious or fraternal society cere- 
monies local militia companies were 
used to give an air of splendor to the 
occasion. Hence it came to pass- 
that when the corner stones of the 
Nauvoo Temple were laid the militia 
organizations of the city took 
a prominent part, their evolu- 
tions, the firing of musketry 
and the booming of cannon add- 
ing magnificence to the cere- 
monies. Joseph Smith laid the chief., 
that is to say, the southeast, corner 
stone; and the Prophet as it settled 
in its place said to the multitudes 
"This principal corner stone in rep- 
resentation of the First Presidency^ 
is now duly laid in honor of the 
Great God." 

Four years, one month and 
eighteen days from that time — the 
Prophet Joseph Smith meantime 
having suffered martyrdom — the 



7o 



capstone of the Temple was laid by 
President Brigham Young in the 
midst of playing bands and shouts 
of hosannah. By October fol- 
lowing the structure was so far com- 
pleted that meetings were held with- 
in its walls. The first being held 
October 5th at which about five 
thousand people were in attendance, 
and on that date the Temple was, 
so far as it was completed, dedicated 
to the Lord as a monument of the 
liberality, fidelity and faith of the 
Saints. The meetings continued 
through the following three days, 
the occasion being the general con- 
ference of the Church, and the only 
general conference held within the 
Temple's walls. During the win- 
ter of 1845-6 very many of 
the Saints were attending to 
sacred ordinances of the gospel 
within the Temple upon which 
the people never ceased to la- 
bor, notwithstanding it was now evi- 
dent that Nauvoo and the Temple 
would have to be abandoned by them 
in the spring. In the evening of the 
30th of April, 1846 — the main body 
of the citizens of Nauvoo in the 
meantime having crossed the Mis- 
sissippi and started upon their won- 
derful journey through the wilder- 
ness in the direction of the Rocky 
Mountains — Elders Orson Hyde 
and Wilford Woodruff of the 
Apostles, assisted by several other 
prominent Elders of the Church, 



ri 



secretly dedicated the Temple, and 
on the day following, May 1st, the 
Temple was publicly dedicated, after 
which the officiating Elders joined 
their people in their removal west- 
ward. 

The Temple was always an ob- 
ject of envy to the enemies of the 
Church, and so long as it stood un- 
impaired there were always fears 
entertained that it would be a strong 
temptation to the Saints to return 
to so magnificent a shrine. Hence 
in November, 1848, an incendiary, 
it is said, was employed to fire it, 
with the result that all that could 
be destroyed by fire was destroyed. 
The walls, however, being well built, 
remained standing, and subsequent- 
ly the Icarians, a French socialistic 
society who succeeded the Saints in 
the occupancy of Nauvoo, prepared 
to put on the roof and reconstruct 
the interior. Before they could do 
so, however, a tornado (May 27, 
1850), hurled down the north wall 
and left the sacred structure in 
ruins. In time the stones were 
hauled away to be used in the erec- 
tion of other buildings, until now 
nothing remains of the Temple, 
erected at so great a sacrifice on the 
part of the Saints, and in the midst 
of their poverty and when threaten- 
ed on every hand by mob violence. 
They completed it, however, and 
left it a dedicated monument of their 
patience and their faithfulness. 



72 



Turning now from facing the 
Temple and looking westward one 
finds that it stood upon the highest 
point of land hereabouts, overlook- 
ing the grand sweep of the Mis- 
sissippi as it majestically moves 
around the point of land extending 
westward around the bluff on which 
the Temple had been erected. The 
island in the river, the village of 
Montrose and the river bluffs for 
miles both up and down the stream 
may be seen in their magnificence. 
Surely these Mormon leaders chose 
a magnificent site for the second 
Temple their people built. 

10. Home of President Wilford 
Woodruff, Nauvoo, Illinois, 
facing east. 

Stereograph No. 10 represents 
the Nauvoo home of the late Presi- 
dent Wilford Woodruff on the cor- 
ner of Durphey and Hotchkiss 
Streets. The house is a severely 
plain two-story, brick building 
somewhat after the old Pennsyl- 
vania Dutch style of homes, and 
faces east. In the stereograph we 
are looking southwest. The home 
was erected by Elder Woodruff aft- 
er his return from his mission to 
England in 1841 or 1842, when 
Nauvoo was rapidly developing into 
one of the foremost cities of the 
west. It seems scarcely credible 
that this old home should outlast 



73 

the earthly career of the man who 
built it. In a way the building is 
typical of the man who erected it, 
simple, modest, plain; yet among 
the sons of men who have figured 
in the latter-day dispensation of 
the gospel ushured in through the 
labors of the Prophet Joseph Smith, 
there has been no more lovable per- 
sonality than Wilford Woodruff. 
He who lived in this plain old house 
at Nauvoo became one of the first 
pioneers of American history. He 
assisted not only in founding the 
great State of Utah, but in founding 
civilization itself in our w T hole inter- 
mountain region of the west. For 
eleven years, 1887 to 1898 he was 
the President of the Church of 
Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 
and when he died he was held in 
the highest esteem not only by the 
members of his own Church, but by 
the citizens of Utah irrespective of 
Church affiliations. 

11. Home of President Lorenzo 
Snow, Bauvoo, Illinois. 

A short distance southwest of the 
Woodruff residence is the home of 
the late President Lorenzo Snow. It 
is a pretentious and well preserved 
structure of two stories, facing east 
on Carlin Street. In the stereo- 
graph we are looking at the build- 
ing from the southeast. It will be 
seen that the Snow residence was a 



74 



spacious, substantial building like 
many other residences of prominent 
Church leaders in Nauvoo that had 
to be sacrificed at the time of the 
exodus in 1846. In all the subse- 
quent years of the life of Lorenzo 
Snow, however, in all that he has 
written, and that has been written 
about him, I can learn of no refer- 
ence being- made to his sacrifice in 
the way of regret or lamentation. 

The late President Snow, whose 
Nauvoo home is before us, was a 
graduate of Oberlin College, Ohio. 
He was a man of refinement and 
broad intelligence. Like President 
Woodrufif he was a pioneer of the 
inter-mountain west; but also en- 
joyed the privilege of extensive 
travel in Europe and the Orient. 
He became the President of the 
Mormon Church soon after the de- 
mise of President Woodrufif in 
1898, a position he held for about 
four years ; and although his admin- 
istration was brief, and the oppor- 
tunities afforded by the position 
came to him late in life, yet his ad- 
ministration was remarkable for its 
vigor and achievements. He, too, 
won the confidence and esteem of 
both Mormon and non-Mormon 
citizens of the inter-mountain states, 
and was esteemed as a man of keen 
intelligence, of upright character, 
and commanding influence. 



75 



12. Nauvoo Mansion, Home of Jo- 
seph Smith, from which the 
murdered brothers were 
buried, Nauvoo, Illinois. 

The Nauvoo Mansion stands on 
the corner of Main and Water 
streets within one block of the river 
bank. The building is a frame 
"L" shaped structure, facing west 
and south. In the stereograph we 
are looking at it from the south- 
west. It received its name, "Nauvoo 
Mansion/' not from its proportions 
or grandeur, but from the fact that 
it was a hotel as well as the resi- 
dence of the Prophet Joseph Smith 
and his family. From the com- 
mencement of his public career the 
Prophet's home both at Kirtland 
and Nauvoo had been thronged 
with visitors. Sometimes the merely 
curious'; sometimes sincere enquir- 
ers after truth ; sometimes arrogant, 
inquisitive ministers came with the 
hope of refuting the Prophet's 
claims. All classes the Prophet 
received with open-handed hospital- 
ity, but it was a severe tax upon his 
resources, and therefore when in 
November, 1843, the "Mansion" 
was made ready for his occupancy, 
it was opened as a hotel, the 
Prophet being the proprietor. The 
management of it as a hotel, how- 
ever, was in a few months turned 
over to Ebenezer Robinson, the 
Prophet reserving to himself and 



7 6 

family three rooms only. The Nau- 
voo Mansion had the reputation of 
setting the best table and affording 
the best accommodations in what 
was called at the time the "Upper 
Mississippi Country." In those days 
there was no net work of railroads 
as now throughout Illinois, and 
traveling was either on horseback 
or by means of the stage coach. The 
care of horses, therefore, as well as 
of men, was a necessary feature of 
American hotel accommodations. It 
is said that the brick stables con- 
nected with the Nauvoo Mansion 
provided stalls for seventy-five 
horses, and that they were frequent- 
ly all occupied. 

It is as the residence of the Prophet 
Joseph Smith, however, that the 
Nauvoo Mansion derives its chiefest 
importance. It was here that he 
spent some of the happiest days of 
his troubled life. Here that he en- 
tertained his friends, and some- 
times his enemies, with that open- 
hearted, and open-handed hospital- 
ity so characteristic of him. Here 
he feasted the poor, the halt, and the 
maimed of his own people, as well 
as some of the first men in the State 
of Illinois, lawyers, doctors, judges, 
politicians. Stephen A. Douglas, 
judge of the judicial district in 
which Nauvoo was located, was a 
frequent guest at his house. It was 
here that a few gleams of sunshine 
struggled through the black clouds 



77 

that had over-hung the Prophet's 
life, and finally at the martyr-close 
of his heroic career, it was here that 
his mangled body lay in state beside 
that of his brother Hyrum, while 
the mourning people of Nauvoo 
silently passed by to look for the last 
time upon the forms of the Prophets 
they loved so well. 

13. Old Smith Homestead, Emma 
Smith's Grave, and lot where 
martyred brothers were 
buried, XTauvoo, 111. 

Stereograph No. 13 is the old 
Smith homestead at Nauvoo, and 
is oa the immediate bank of the 
Mississippi. In the stereograph 
we are looking northeast at the west 
end and front of the house. In 
the foreground is shown the grave 
of Emma Smith, which is supposed 
to be near the spot where the two 
prophets, Joseph and Hyrum, were 
buried. It appears that when 
"life's fitful dream was over" it was 
the desire of this toil-worn woman, 
Emma Smith, to be buried near the 
remains of the man by whose side 
she had stood for so many troubled 
years of life's existence. Peacefully 
may she slumber on the banks of the 
majestic river, which flows by her 
resting place a scant hundred yards 
distant. 



78 



14. Home X)f President Brigham 

Young, Nauvoo, Illinois, fac- 
ing north on Kimball Street, 

The home of the late President 
Brigham Young at Nauvoo faces 
north on Kimball Street. We are 
looking at it from the northwest. 
It is a plain, brick structure former- 
ly enclosed by a low picket fence 
now removed. At the time of the 
death of the Prophet Joseph, 
Brigham Young was absent in 
the east on a mission. Re- 
turning to Navoo immediately 
upon hearing of the mar- 
tyrdom, by virtue of his position as 
the President of the quorum of the 
Twelve Apostles, he found himself 
the chief man in Israel. His mod- 
est home therefore was frequently 
the scene of solemn councils whence 
instructions were sent forth for the 
guidance of the Saints, not only in 
the city of Nauvoo, but throughout 
the United States, Canada, and 
Great Britain. So that for a time 
this unpretentious Nauvoo building, 
the home of the second great "Mor- 
mon" leader, was in a manner the 
central office of the Church. 

15. Home of President John Taylor, 

Nauvoo, Illinois, facing east. 

The late President John Taylor's 
two-story, brick house faced east on 
Main Street. We are looking at it 



79 



from the southeast and see the front 
of the buildings and the south side. 
The building on the left was erected 
by Elder Taylor as a printing estab- 
lishment, and here he printed the 
"Times and Seasons/' of which he 
was editor and publisher. The build- 
ing on the right was used as a 
store. The value of this group of 
buildings at the time Elder Taylor 
was exiled with the Saints from 
Nauvoo was estimated at $10,000. 
In addition to this property, a short 
distance east of Nauvoo he had a 
farm of one hundred and six acres 
of unimproved land; another of 
eighty acres, forty of which w r as 
under cultivation; the remaining 
forty was timber. He also had a 
corner lot one hundred and one by 
eighty-five feet on Main and Water 
Street, opposite the Nauvoo Man- 
sion. All this property, to say 
nothing of his printing and book 
binding establishment, and the fur- 
niture in his home, he was compell- 
ed to leave with but small hope of 
ever receiving anything for it, while 
he himself was driven forth an exile 
to wander in the wilderness, a vic- 
tim of religious intolerance. His 
story is but one of many similar 
ones that could be related of his co- 
religionists who were driven from 
Nauvoo. 

There were many homes besides 
these I have described that were left 
by the Saints to stand as monu- 

6 



8o 



merits of the sacrifices they made for 
their religion, on the one hand; 
and as the monuments of the intol- 
erance of religious bigotry on the 
other. It is gratifying that views 
of so many of these monuments 
have been preserved by Mr. CalifFs 
stereograps 

THE MARTYRDOM OF JOSEPH AND 
HYRUM SMITH. 

The six stereographs presenting 
views of Carthage prison and the 
Hancock county court house at Car- 
thage, Illinois, will be better un- 
derstood if the story of the 
Prophet's martyrdom precedes the 
description of them. It is well 
known that the declaration of the 
Prophet that he had received a new 
dispensation of the gospel of Jesus 
Christ, strangely agitated those to 
whom he first proclaimed it, and 
brought upon him the displeasure of 
the religious orders; that a relent- 
less persecution followed him 
through all the years of his public 
career, constantly increasing and 
culminating finally in his martyr- 
dom at Carthage, on the 27th of 
June, 1844. 

By the time Nauvoo was well on 
the way to recognition as the com- 
ing metropolitan city of the west, a 
considerable number of those who 
had lost the faith lived in Nauvoo, 
and their bitterness was greater 
than that of other non-Mormon 



8i 



enemies of the Prophet. These 
apostates in the spring of 1844 
started the publication of a paper 
called the "Nauvoo Expositor." As 
the policy which it proclaimed for 
itself threatened the peace and se- 
curity of the city the municipal 
council declared it a nuisance, or- 
dered its suppression, and it was 
suppressed. The press was broken 
and the type scattered. This afford- 
ed an opportunity for the Prophet's 
enemies to agitate the country 
against the people of Nauvoo in 
general and its mayor, the Prophet 
himself, in particular. A warrant 
for his arrest and the arrest of the 
members of the city council was is- 
sued by Mr. Morrison, justice of 
the peace at Carthage, and made 
returnable to the justice at Car- 
thage, "or some other justice of the 
peace. " Mr. Smith and the city 
council being" assured that it was 
unsafe for them to go to Carthage, 
insisted upon being taken before 
some other justice of the peace as 
provided in the warrant. To this 
the constable refused his assent* 
whereupon the parties under arrest 
applied for a writ of habeas corpus 
made returnable before the muni- 
cipal court of Nauvoo. The hearing* 
was granted and the case dismissed. 
At the instance of Judge Thomas, 
the circuit judge of the judicial dis- 
trict which included Nauvoo, the 
parties submitted to a new trial on 



82 



the same charge before Squire D. 
H. Wells, justice of the peace in one 
of the outlying precincts of Nauvoo, 
and they were again acquitted. 
The course pursued by the mayor 
and city council was declared to be 
resistance to the law and made use 
of to influence the public mind 
against the Mormons. Mobs as- 
sembled about Carthage and the 
work of violence was inaugurated 
by kidnapping, whipping and other- 
wise abusing the Saints who liyed in 
the outlying districts. For protec- 
tion people thus assaulted fled to 
Nauvoo. This was heralded abroad 
as the massing of the Mormon 
forces. An appeal to the governor 
was made by both parties. Acting 
under his instructions the Nauvoo 
Legion was called out by the mayor 
of Nauvoo and the city placed un- 
der martial law for the protection of 
its people. In the midst of the ex- 
citement Governor Ford arrived in 
Carthage, where he heard com- 
plaints from both parties to the con- 
troversy and expressed it as his opin- 
ion that it would be best for Joseph 
Smith and all concerned in the de- 
struction of the Expositor press to 
come to Carthage and undergo trial 
on the charges against them, not- 
withstanding they had been twice 
examined and twice acquitted. In 
council with his friends upon the 
subject the Prophet came to the con- 
clusion that it would be positively 



83 



dangerous for himself and asso- 
ciates of the city council to go to 
Carthage, and finally concluded that 
the wisest thing to do would be for 
himself and a few other leading 
brethren against whom the 
mob was particularly enraged 
to leave for the west. In pur- 
suance of this determination 
himself and others crossed the Mis- 
sissippi to the Iowa side. Before 
they could depart for the west a 
delegation of false friends from 
Nauvoo arrived and besought the 
Prophet to return, intimating that 
he was playing the part of a false 
shepherd who in the hour of dan- 
ger left his flock. Stung by this 
accusation the Prophet replied that 
if his life was nothing to his friends 
it was nothing to him; and against 
the promptings of his better judg- 
ment he returned to Nauvoo resolv- 
ing to commit himself to the hands 
of his enemies in order to comply 
with the governor's advice. Arriv- 
ing at Nauvoo he hastened to depart 
for Carthage, saying enroute that 
he was going like a lamb to the 
slaughter; "but I am as calm as a 
summer's morning." He added, "I 
have a conscience void of offense to* 
ward God and toward all men. I 
shall die innocent and it shall yet 
be said of me he was murdered in 
cold blood." At Carthage the 
Prophet and the Nauvoo city coun- 
cil appeared before a justice of the 



8 4 

be 
circuit court at its next session on 



peace and were bound over to the 



. 



the charge of riot. No sooner was 
this matter adjusted than Joseph 
and Hyrum Smith were arrested on 
a charge of treason against the 
State at the instance of Henry O. 
Norton and Augustine Spencer, 
men of no character and whose 
word was utterly unreliable. The 
arrested parties were thrust into 
prison, where they were completely 
at the mercy of their enemies. The 
friends of the Prophet protested to 
the governor against such treatment 
"but to no purpose. Governor Ford 
was sorry that the thing had occur- 
red. He did not believe the charge, 
but thought the best thing to do 
would be to let the law take its 
course. 

On the 26th of June, there was a 
long interview between the Prophet 
and the governor in the prison. All 
the difficulties that had arisen in 
Nauvoo were related by Joseph and 
the action of himself and associates 
explained and defended. In con- 
cluding the conversation the 
Prophet said : "Governor Ford, I 
ask for nothing but what is legal; 
I have a right to expect protection 
at least from you; for independent 
of law, you have pledged your faith 
and that of the state for my protec- 
tion, and I wish to go to Nauvoo." 
"And you shall have protection, 
General Smith," replied the gov- 



85 



ernor. "I did not make this prom- 
ise without consulting my officers, 
who all pledged their honor to its 
fulfillment. I do not know that 
I shall go tomorrow to Nauvoo, but 
if I do, I will take you along." 

The next day — the ever memor- 
able 27th of June — the governor 
broke the promise he had made to 
Joseph Smith the day previous, viz : 
that if he went to Nauvoo he would 
take him along. He disbanded the 
militia except a small company he 
detailed to accompany him to Nau- 
voo, and the Carthage Greys, a 
company composed of the very 
worst enemies of the Prophet and 
his friends — these he left to guard 
the prisoners ! It was the public 
boast of the disbanded militia that 
they would only go a short distance 
from the town and then after the 
governor left for Nauvoo they 
would return and kill the Prophet. 
When this fact was stated to the 
governor by Dan Jones, one of the 
Elders of the Church, who heard 
the boasts, Governor Ford replied 
that Jones was over anxious for the 
safety of his friends. The succeed- 
ing events of that day, however, 
proved that the boasts of the 
Prophet's enemies were not idle. 

The afternoon of the 27th of June 
was a hot, sultry day. Two friends, 
John Taylor and Wiilard Richards, 
had been permitted to remain with 
the prisoners, Joseph and Hyrum 



86 



Smith. The time was spent by the 
four brethren in desultory conver- 
sation and singing. Late in the 
afternoon Mr. Stigall, the jail 
keeper, came and suggested that it 
would be safter for them in the 
cells — the prisoners had been occu- 
pying the jailor's parlor. Joseph 
told him that they would go in after 
supper. A little after five o'clock 
a mob, with their faces painted 
black and variously disguised, sud- 
denly appeared before the prison. 
They evidently had an understand- 
ing with the Carthage Greys, the 
militia company left in charge of 
the prison. The whole company 
was encamped about two or three 
hundred yards away on the public 
square about the court house, and 
they made no effort whatever to 
prevent the assault on the prison. 
The six men on guard duty at the 
jail played their part well. They 
fired blank shots at the advancing 
mob or discharged their pieces in 
the air, and were then "over-pow- 
ered," and the prison was in the 
hands of the infuriated mob. Rush- 
ing through the front entrance they 
fired a volley up the stair-way and 
gained a landing before the door of 
tjhe main, prison and the jailor's 
parlor. Their associates on the 
outside at the same time were firing 
through the windows of the prison. 
At the first volley the four prison- 
ers closed the door of their* room 



87 



against the entry at the head of the 
stairs and braced themselves against 
it, there being no lock on the door, 
by this time the mob had gained the 
landing and a shot was fired 
through the pannel of the door 
which caused the friends to spring 
back to the front part of the room. 
Hyrum Smith staggered backward 
a few feet and fell, calmly saying 
"I am a dead man !" For a moment 
the Prophet bent over the prostrate 
form of his brother and said, "Oh ! 
my poor, dear brother Hyrum !"' 
Then instantly rising to his feet he 
stepped to the ha If -open door, 
through which the mob was firing 
and discharged at them a pistol left 
in his hands that morning by Cyrus 
Wheelock, one of the brethren who 
had visited him in prison. John 
Taylor and Willard Richards stood 
by him parrying the guns thrust 
through the door-!way with their 
heavy walking canes. Three bar- 
rels of the old fashioned six-shoot- 
er in the hands of the Prophet 
missed fire. Meantime the crowd 
on the landing grew more dense and 
were forced toward the door by 
those crowding their way up the 
stairs. There being no means of 
defense Elder Taylor sprang for 
the open window opposite the prison 
door. As he was in the act of 
leaping from the window a ball 
fired from the door-way struck him 
about midway of his left thigh and 



88 



he fell helpless on the window-sill 
and would have dropped on the out- 
side had not another ball from the 
outside at that instant struck the 
watch in his vest pocket, which 
threw him back into the room. He 
drew himself as rapidly as possible 
in his crippled condition under the 
bed that stood near the window. 
While doing so several other balls 
struck him in his leg and hip and 
arm. No sooner had Elder Taylor 
been thrown back from the window 
than the Prophet attempted to leap 
from it, and was shot and fell to 
the ground, exclaiming: "Oh Lord, 
my God!" Elder Richards had 
escaped without so much as a hole 
in his clothing. He saw the 
Prophet half leap, half fall from the 
window, and rushing to it saw his 
friend lying dead, surrounded by 
the mob. He now started for the 
inner prison room and as he passed 
Elder Taylor the latter said, "Stop, 
doctor, and take me along." Ascer- 
taining that the iron door to the 
criminal cell was open, the doctor 
returned and dragged his wounded 
companion across the landing into 
it. Once inside the cell he ex- 
claimed, "Oh, Brother Taylor, is it 
possible that they have killed Broth- 
ers Joseph and Hyrum? It can- 
not surely be, and yet, I saw them 
shoot them. Brother Taylor this 
is a terrible event." He then drag- 
ged his wounded friend still further 



8 9 



into the cell where he covered him 
with an old mattress, while he him- 
self went outside to ascertain what 
further fate had befallen the 
Prophet. The mob, it seemed, as 
soon as the awful reality of their 
crime dawned upon them were 
seized with terror, and fled in va- 
rious directions. Immediately un- 
der the window from which the 
young Prophet fell when shot was 
an old well curb, and here the sands 
of his life ebbed away, and another 
soul was added to the number under 
the altar "that were slain for the 
word of God and the testimony 
which they held." Inside the prison 
lay Elder Taylor in an agony of 
pain, weltering in his blood. In the 
jailor's parlor lay Hyrum Smith, 
stark in his martyrdom. "A monu- 
ment of greatness even in death/' 
as John Taylor observed of him. 
"Poor Hyrum, " he continues, "he 
was a great and good man, and my 
soul was cemented to his. If ever 
there was an examplary, honest and 
virtuous man, an embodiment of all 
that is noble in the human form 
Hvrum Smith was its representa- 
tive." 

Joseph Smith was innocent of any 
crime ,as had often been proved 
before the courts of his country 
where he had been some fifty times 
arraigned, and as many times ac- 
quitted without condemnation. His 
death was the direct result of that 



9 o 



bitter and relentless persecution 
which had followed him from the 
time the Lord first appeared to him 
and made him a Prophet to the na- 
tions; and in his death, so tragic, 
and so pitiful, he affixed a broad 
seal to the message he bore to the 
world — a seal that makes his testi- 
mony of binding force. "For where 
a statement is, there must of neces- 
sity be the death of the testator ; for 
a statement is of force after men are 
dead : otherwise it is of no strength 
at all while the testator liveth." Not 
in vain fell the Prophet! Not in 
vain did his blood make crimson the 
soil of the great state of Illinois ! It 
was fitting that the Prophet of the 
great Dispensation of the Fullness 
of Times should complete his work 
by sealing his testimony with his 
blood, that his martyr-cry: "Oh 
Lord, my God !" might mingle with 
the martyr-cries of so many of the 
prophets who, like him, were sent to 
bear witness for God. 

But were not the murderers pun- 
ished? No. At the October term 
of the Hancock circuit court a grand 
jury was impanneled. On Monday, 
the 2 1 st of October, the court be- 
gan its session. On Tuesday, the. 
grand jury began their work, and 
by the following Saturday brought 
in two indictments, one for the mur- 
der of Joseph Smith and the other 
for the murder of Hyrum Smith. 
Nine persons in all were indicted. 



9i 



Most of these defendants appeared 
at once and demanded an immediate 
trial. This was objected to by the 
prosecution on the ground of not 
being read} , and the trial went over 
to the next term of court. On the 
19th of May, 1845, the case again 
came before the court. Ninetv-six 
men were brought into court before 
the trial jury of twelve could be ob- 
tained. The trial lasted till the 
20th of May, when the jury- 
was instructed by the court, 
and after several hours' delibera- 
ation returned a verdict of not 
guilty. "The case was closed," said 
Colonel John Hay (now — 1904 — 
Secretary of State in President 
Roosevelt's cabinet, who wrote up 
the trial in the Atlantic Monthly for 
December, 1869) — "the case was 
closed. There was not a man on 
the jury, in the court, in the county, 
that did not know the defendants 
had done the murder. But it was 
not proven, and the verdict of not 
guilty was right in law." 

18. The old Jail where the Prophet 
Joseph Smith and his brother 
Hyrum were murdered, south 
front, Carthage, Illinois. 

This historic structure built in 
1 84 1 stands on the southwest cor- 
ner of the block bounded by Wal- 
nut Street on the south and Fay- 
ette on the west and is one block 
north and two blocks west of the 



92 



Hancock county court house. It is 
built of red sand stone. The walls 
are nearly three feet in thickness, 
and after the lapse of more than 
sixty years show no signs of decay. 
In stereograph No. 16 we are look- 
ing at the south end or front of the 
prison. The conservatory and porch 
formed no part of the original 
building, but the entrance is the 
same through which the mob forced 
its way to commit the awful crime 
of the 27th of June, 1844. The 
main door now, as at the time of 
the tragedy, opens into a hall. At 
the right, immediately in the south 
end of the hall, is a door that opens 
into the room that was used as the 
jailer's living room, and in the 
northeast corner of that room is a 
door opening into a small room 
used as the jailer's kitchen. The 
hall extends north from the main 
entrance to the door of the north- 
west room, which was called the 
"debtor's prison," and was the only 
room on the first floor used as a 
prison cell. Such in brief is the 
description of the lower floor of the 
old prison. 

17. Hall, door in Debtor's Prison, 
stairway ascended by mob, 
and door to main Prison, Car- 
thage, Illinois. 

Stereograph No. 17 shows the 
door at the north end of the hall 
leading to the debtor's prison, al- 



93 



ready spoken of, and the stair way 
on the left side of the hall leading 
to the landing on the second floor 
immediately in front of the main 
prison cell, and the jailer's parlor. 
It was up this stair-way that the 
mob first fired a volley and then 
rushed to reach the Prophet and his 
friends. 

18. Door to main Prison, Hall 

where mob stood while firing 
into Jailer's Parlor, Carthage, 
Illinois. 

This door-way leads to the main 
prison cell, which extended across 
the north end of the building, and 
immediately in front is the landing 
where the mob stood when firing 
through the door and into the room 
occupied by the prisoners at the 
time of the assault. It was across 
this landing and into this cell-room 
that Willard Richards dragged his 
savagely wounded friend, John 
Taylor, to a place, as he hoped, of 
security. 

19. Jailer's Parlor where mob slew 

Joseph and Hyrum Smith; 
bullet hole in door — Old Jail, 
Carthage, Illinois. 

This is the room in which the 
Prophet and his friends were as- 
sailed, though now so cosy and 
peaceful in appearance. This was 



94 



the door which the friends hastily 
closed when they heard the first 
shots fired by the mob. Through 
this door the shot was fired which 
is supposed to have struck Hyrum 
Smith in the face — the hole is seen 
in the pannel of the door in this 
stereograph — and a few feet in the 
foreground from it is where he fell, 
calmly exclaiming, "I am a dead 
man." Near where the young man 
sits is where the Prophet stood as 
he fired upon the mob on the land- 
ing, and where Elders John Taylor 
and Willard Richards stood beside 
him, and parried with their walking 
canes, the guns thrust through the 
door-way. 

20. East side of Jail, showing win- 
dow where Joseph Smith was 
shot and from which he fell, 
Carthage, Illinois. 

Here is seen the east side of Car- 
thage jail. The upper window is 
the one from which John Taylor 
tried to leap, but was shot down in 
the act of doing so, and thrown 
back to the floor of the prison by 
a ball fired from the outside. It 
was at this window a moment later 
at which the Prophet Joseph ap- 
peared evidently with the intention 
of leaping to the ground and was 
shot while in the act. He fell di- 
rectly under the window, near an 
old well-curb, and there the youny 
Prophet breathed ou*" his life. 






95 



21. Court House, scene of trial of 

the murderers of Joseph and 
Hyrum Smith, Carthage, 111. 

Hancock county court house 
shown in stereograph No. 21 is 
centrally located in the pleasant town 
of Carthage, Illinois. It stands in 
a well kept public square which is 
four hundred feet on each side. The 
view presented is taken from the 
northwest. The court house is a 
substantial brick structure erected' 
in 1839, though there have been 
some additions and changes made 
since the time of the tragedy. It 
was here that the trial of the mur- 
derers of the Prophet was held in 
1844-5, the result of which has al- 
ready been given in the general nar- 
rative of the martyrdom. 

22. Brigham Young, the great 

leader of the Nauvoo Exodus, 
and colonizer of the Ameri- 
can Desert. 

Brigham Young was born at 
Whitingham, Windham county, in 
the State of Vermont, June 1, 1801. 
He was therefore at the death of 
the Prophet Joseph Smith forty- 
three years of age — in the very 
prime of his manhood. By virtue 
of his position as president of the 
quorum of the Twelve Apostles he 
was recognized as the chief man in 

the modern Israel ; and he at once 

r 



9 6 



inaugurated a vigorous administra- 
tion of the affairs of the Church. 
The Saints soon recognized in him 
the master spirit of their now mar- 
tyred Prophet, and supported him 
and his associates most loyally. The 
work which had for a moment halt- 
ed because of the death of the 
Prophet, again moved forward in 
all its departments. Increased ac- 
tivity was awakened in the missions 
throughout the United States, Can- 
ada and Great Britain. The gath- 
ering of the people to Nauvoo was 
encouraged. The work upon the 
temple and other public buildings 
was resumed and those who expect- 
ed to see Mormonism die with the 
martyrdom of its first Prophet-lead- 
er discovered thev were doomed to 
disappointment, and straightway 
renewed their opposition. Less 
than ten days before his death the 
Prophet Joseph used this language : 
"It is thought by some that our 
enemies would be satisfied with my 
destruction; but I tell you that as 
soon as they have shed my blood, 
they will thirst for the blood of 
every man in whose heart dwells 
a single spark of the spirit of the 
fulness of the Gospel. The opposi- 
tion of these men is moved by the 
spirit of the adversary of all right- 
eousness. It is not only to destroy 
n?e, but every man and woman who 
dares believe the doctrines that God 



97 



has inspired me to teach in this gen- 
eration." 

This prophecy was soon in the 
way of fulfillment. Slanders were 
rife through all parts of the coun- 
try defaming the city of Nauvoo 
and her people. The Saints living 
in outlying districts were assailed 
by mob violence, and from time to 
time Nauvoo was threatended with 
destruction. The necessary steps 
to self protection from these as- 
saults were construed into acts of 
aggression and menace to the peace 
of the state, until such distrustful 
and unfriendly public sentiment was 
created that it became evident that 
if the Saints were to have peace, 
and enjoy any part of that religious 
freedom guaranteed in both state 
and national constitutions they must 
seek it elsewhere than in the state 
of Illinois, or even in the United 
States. This was soon discerned 
by the new and far-seeing leader, 
Brigham Young; and, indeed, had 
long been foreseen by Joseph Smith 
who had predicted the removal of 
his people to the Rock Mountains, 
where in his vision he had seen 
them become a numerous and pow- 
erful people. He himself had set on 
foot some preliminary measures 
looking forward to the exodus of 
the Church to their predicted loca- 
tion in the west. So that the move- 
ments of Brigham Young in this 
respect had for their object carry- 



98 



ing out the plans of his predeces- 
sor. But bitter opposition and 
mob violence on the part of the peo- 
ple of Illinois, who refused to con- 
sider the settlement of the Mormon 
difficulties on any other basis than 
that of the removal of the Mormons 
from the state, hastened the con- 
summation of these plans. Under 
date of September 24, 1845, m a 
communication to a committee of 
citizens appointed at Quincy Presi- 
dent Young in behalf of the coun- 
cil of the Twelve announced to the 
people of Illinois and the surround- 
ing states and territories the inten- 
tion of himself and his people to 
leave Illinois in the following spring 
for some point so remote that there 
would be no difficulty between the 
Latter-day Saints and the citizens 
of Illoinois; and asked for assis- 
tance in the accomplishment of this 
purpose by a fair exchange of such 
property as his people could take 
with them into the wilderness, for 
the homes and lands they must 
leave. 

Then followed busy days in Nau- 
voo. In order to be ready for the 
g£reat exodus in the spring men 
were hurrying to and fro collect- 
ing wagons and repairing them. 
The roar of the smith's forge was 
well nigh perpetual and even the 
stillness of night was broken by the 
steady beat of the sledge and the 
merry ringing of the anvil. Com- 



99 



mittees were seeking purchasers of 
real estate and converting both that 
and personal property into anything 
that would be of service to those 
just about to plunge into an un- 
known and boundless wilderness. 

While these efforts were being- 
put forth on the part of the people 
of Nauvoo to fulfill their agreement 
to the mob forces incidents of mob 
violence against them were almost 
of every day occurrence. In or- 
der, therefore, to give evidence of 
the earnest intentions of the Mor- 
mons to leave the state, and that 
these persecutions might cease the 
Twelve Apostles and other leading 
brethren with their families crossed 
the Mississippi on the ice on the 
nth of February, 1846, and were 
soon lost to view in the wilderness 
of Iowa. Other companies contin- 
ued to follow as fast as they could 
make ready, so that by the latter 
part of April the great body of the 
Church had left Nauvoo. The ad- 
vance companies made their way to 
a point on the Missouri river which 
they called Council Bluffs — the 
modern city of that name occupies 
the site of their encampment. To 
tell in detail the story of that jour- 
ney from Nauvoo to Council Bluffs 
— how the Saints struggled on 
through trackless priries converted 
into vast bogs by the spring thaws 
and rain and sleet which seemed to 
fall continuously; how the bleak 



itfft 



IOC) 

winds from the pitiless northwest 
were more cruel than the sharpest 
frosts; how the young and strong 
left the main companies to go into 
Missouri and districts in Iowa re- 
mote from their line of march to 
exchange household furniture for 
corn or flour; how those who had 
merely enough provisions for them- 
selves — no one had a surplus — di- 
vided with those who had none; 
how heroically they struggled 
against weakness and disease 
brought on through exposure; how 
they laid away their dead in name- 
less graves — to tell all this would 
fill a volume of itself, and belongs 
rather to a general history than to 
these sketches. 

The Mormon encampment at 
Council Bluffs is thus described by 
General Thomas L. Kane, who vis- 
iteed it in June following the exodus 
from Nauvoo : 

"They were collected a little dis- 
tance above the Potawatamie 
Agency. The hills of the high 
prairie crowding in upon the river 
at this point and overhanging it, 
appear of an unusual and command 
elevation. They were called the 
'Council Bluffs.' * * * To the 
south of them, a rich alluvial flat 
of considerable width follows down 
the Missouri some eight miles, to 
where it is lost from view by a turn, 
which forms the site of an Indian 
town Point aux Pottles. Across 



101 

the river from this spot the hills 
recur again, but are skirted at their 
base by as much low ground as suf- 
fices for a landing. This landing, 
and the large flat or bottom on the 
east side of the river, were covered 
with carts and wagons; and each 
one of the Council Bluff hills op- 
posite was crowded with its own 
great camp, gay with bright white 
canvas, and alive w r ith the busy stir 
of swarming occupants. In the 
clear blue morning air the smoke 
streamed up from more than a thou- 
sand cooking fires. Counless roads, 
and by-paths checkered all manner 
of geometric figures on the hill- 
sides. Herd boys were dozing up- 
on the slopes; sheep and horses, 
cows and oxen were feeding round 
them, and other herds were in the 
luxuriant meadows of the then 
swollen river. From a single point 
I counted four thousand head of 
cattle in view at one time. As I 
approached, it seemed to me the 
children there were to prove still 
more numerous." 

The site of this encampment and 
vicinity was destined to be the point 
for some years to come from which 
companies would make their pre- 
parations for the journey through 
the western wilderness. Here Presi- 
dent Young received his revelation 
directing the manner in which the 
companies should be organized and 
travel. The plan of organization 



102 

for traveling was to divide the peo- 
ple into companies of one hundred 
wagons, sub-divided into companies 
of fifty wagons, and ten wagons, 
with captains over each division, the 
captains of fifties being subordinate 
to captains of hundreds, and cap- 
tains of tens being subordinate to 
captains of fifties — all being sub- 
ject to the direction of the Apostles. 
Each fifty had a blacksmith with 
tools for repairing wagons and 
shoeing animals. Three hundred 
pounds of bread stuff wero required 
for each person. Every man had to 
have a gun with one hundred 
rounds of ammunition ; and each 
family was expected to take along 
its proportion of seed grain and ag- 
ricultural implements. As fast as 
individuals and families were found 
who had the required outfit, or 
could obtain it, they rendezvoused 
at a point on the Elk Horn river, a 
few miles west of Winter Quarters, 
where the organization for the jour- 
ney to the mountains was perfected. 
The pioneer compny left Winter 
Quarters for the west in the month 
of April, 1847. 1^ consisted of 
one hundred and forty-three men, 
three women and two children. 
They had seventy-three wagons, 
drawn by horses and mules, and 
loaded chiefly with grain and farm- 
ing implements, and with the neces- 
sary provisions for the journey. 



103 

On the morning of July,24,i847, a 
canvas-covered, two-horse carriage 
might have been seen emerging 
from one of the canyons on the east 
side of the Salt Lake valley. On 
one side the canvas cover was 
rolled up, and lying upon an im- 
provised couch a sick man was re- 
clining. As soon as the carriage 
emerged from the canyon the driver 
left the rough, new made road and 
turned the open side of the carriage 
to the west and halted. The sick 
man arose to his feet for a few mo- 
ments and gazed out over the val- 
ley. For a while he seemed wrap- 
ped in vision, then, turning to the 
driver, he said : "This is the place, 
drive on;" and sank back upon his 
couch. The speaker was Brigham 
Young. The driver w r as Wilford 
Woodruff. 

The most of the pioneer company 
had preceded the great leader into 
Salt Lake valley by a day or two. 
About noon President Young reach - 
ed their encampment, on one of the 
streams flowing into the valley from 
the east side, and now known as 
City Creek. The encampment was 
formed not far from the Temple 
Square of Salt Lake City. The 
stream had been turned from its 
banks so as to overflow several 
acres of the parched land, and this 
was being plowed. Wilford Wood- 
ruff, who had brought with him a 
bushel of potatoes, took them from 



104 

his wagon and planted them in the 
newly plowed ground. 

In thirty-three days the pioneers, 
had laid out Salt Lake City much 
as it is to-day ; built a fort, covering 
ten acres, enclosing the east side 
with logf houses and the other three 
sides with adobe walls. Thus the 
settlement of Utah was begun. 

Pen Picture of Brigham Young. 

President Young, who conducted 
this marvelous exodus from Nau- 
voo, and lead the pioneers to the 
Salt Lake valley, stood about five 
feet and ten inches in height. He 
was of full form, compactly built, 
and of stately bearing. The head 
was massive, the hair abundant and 
of a light auburn, and of soft, fine 
texture. The forehead was high 
and broad at the base; the nose 
slightly inclined to be aquiline ; the 
eyes were full and of a light gray, 
the mouth was well formed, and the 
whole face expressive of great firm- 
ness. Ordinarily he was mild and 
gentle and affectionate in his man- 
ner. Easily approached, and lov- 
able ; but capable of anger that was 
terrible. In him indeed was blended 
the strong and gentle qualities that 
go to the making of the highest and 
truest manhood. It goes without 
saying that he was a natural leader 
of men. That is universally con- 
ceded, for no person came into his 



xo5 

presence but felt both the attrac- 
tiveness and forecfulness of his 
nature. In the minds of his peo- 
ple he was possessed of a power be- 
yond that which arose from the 
natural strength of his character. 
He was susceptible to inspirations 
which they referred to a divine 
source, and he was clothed with the 
priesthood. That is, he held dele- 
gated power from God, which made 
him, to them, a prophet — vicegerant 
of God on earth — and his inspired 
atterances, therefore, were the 
word of the Lord to them. All this 
he derived from the virtue of the 
position he held rather than from 
his natural attributes of leadership, 
though I would not detract from the 
natural abilities of leadership he 
possessed. Indeed, I believe God 
in chosing leaders selects those who 
by their natural endowments are ca- 
pable of exercising the divine au- 
thority be bestows upon them. So 
that when God chooses a leader for 
His people, the natural endowments 
enlightened by a divine inspiration, 
gives to the people a leader indeed. 
Such an one was Brigham Young. 

23. The Great Temple and the Tab- 
ernacle, cost of Temple $4,- 
000,000, height 210 feet, Salt 
Lake City, Utah. 

This view of the Mormon Tem- 
ple and Tabernacle is from the sixth 
story of the Templeton building, 



io6 

and shows the east front and south 
side of the great granite structure. 
The length of the building is 
1 86 1-2 feet by 99 feet. There are 
six towers, three on the east and 
three on the west respectively. The 
height of the central tower on the 
east is 210 feet. The figure of the 
angel surmounting its top is 12 1-2 
feet in height. It is made of ham- 
mered copper and gilded with pure 
gold leaf. Surmounting it is an 
incandescent electric light of 100 
candle power. The idea conveyed 
by the statue is that of a herald or 
messenger in the act of blowing the 
trumpet sounding the gospel mes- 
sage to all the world. The height 
of the other towers in the east end 
is 188 feet respectively, each sur- 
mounted by electric lights. The 
height of the central tower in the 
west is 204 feet, and of the other 
towers in the west end 182 feet re- 
spectively. All are surmounted 
by electric lights. The height of 
the Temple walls to the square is 
167 1-2 feet. The thickness of the 
walls in the first story are nine feet. 
Those of the upper story six feet. 
The thickness of the buttresses are 
seven feet, and the whole rests upon 
a foundation wall 16 feet thick, and 
16 feet deep. The building covers 
an area of 21,850 feet. 

It would be difficult to classify 
the style of architecture of this 
structure. It is unique as a piece of 



107 

of religious architecture, but beau- 
tiful, chaste and impressive. It is 
strictly original and was designed 
chiefly by President Brigham 
Young. The history of its con- 
struction in outline is as follows : 
On the 28th of July, 1847, f° ur 
days after his arrivel in the Salt 
Lake valley, and after short ex- 
ploring excursions had been made 
in various directions, President 
Young, accompanied by a number 
of the Twelve, while walking above 
the encampment formed on City 
Creek, suddenly stopped, looked 
about him and striking his walking 
cane into the ground, said : "Here 
will be the temple of our God. ,r 
Wilford Woodruff secured a stake 
and drove it into the spot indicated 
by President Young. When Salt 
Lake City was surveyed it was 
found that this spot so marked was 
near the center of what is now call- 
ed Temple Block. At the confer- 
ence held in April, 185 1, the con- 
gregation unanimously voted that 
a temple should be built. The in- 
habitants of Salt Lake at that time 
numbered but about 5, 000, and 
there were about as many more in 
the surrounding settlements. It 
was not until two years later, how- 
ever— -14th of February, 1853 — 
that actual work, in pursuance of 
this action w T as beeun. Ground was 
then measured and laid off under the 
direction of the First Presidency 



log 

and Apostles, and the ground was 
broken for the foundation. On the 
6th of April following the respec- 
tive corner stones were laid with 
impressive ceremonies. At first 
it was decided that the structure 
should be made of adobes — sun- 
dried brick — with a red sand-stone 
foundation; and a wooden railway 
was constructed to the Red Butte 
stone quarries directly east of Salt 
Lake City to secure the material for 
the foundation. In the meantime 
granite quarries at the mouth of 
Little Cottonwood canyon, twenty 
miles distant, were opened and this 
splendid material was at once de- 
cided upon for the whole building. 
For a long time the stone was 
hauled from the quarries by ox 
teams, and it frequently took four 
days to bring a single stone from 
the quarries to the Temple Block. 
After the advent of railroads into 
Utah, 1869-70, a line was construct- 
ed to the stone quarries and there- 
after the great granite blocks were 
brought into the square by train 
loads. On the 6th of April, 1892, 
the cap stone of the Temple was 
laid amid imposing ceremonies, and 
great rejoicing of the people, who 
assembled in the Temple block to the 
number of 40,000, while many more 
thousands thronged the adjoining 
streets. Finally, after 40 years of 
continuous work, the great struc- 
ture, at a cost of $4,000,000, was 



109 

completed in every detail, and ready 
for dedication unto the Lord for the 
specific purposes for which Temples 
are used by the Latter-day Saints. 
The dedicatory services began on 
the 6th of April, 1893. and were 
repeated daily until April 24th. 
Thirty-one meetings in all were held 
at which 75,000 people attended. 

A short time previous to its dedi- 
cation the respectable non-Mormons 
of Salt Lake and surrounding cities 
were invited to go through the 
Temple, an opportunity of which 
thousands availed themselves, and 
loudly applauded the courteous ac- 
tion of the Church authorities. 

24. Pioneer Monument, in honor of 
Brigham Young and the pio- 
neers of July 24, 1847, Salt 
Lake City, Utah. 

This monument stands at the 
junction of Main Street and South 
Temple facing south, and from our 
point of view a little east of south, 
the Temple rises as a background. 
It was erected in honor of President 
Brigham Young and the pioneers 
of Utah. The base and pedestal 
are of light grayish granite — the 
same as used in the Temple — the 
graceful granite shaft on which the 
heroic bronze statue of Bringham 
Young stands weighs twenty tons, 
and the whole monument from base 
to top stands thirty-five feet high, 



no 

the figure of Brigham Young being 
n 1-2 feet. On the east side at the 
foot of the main shaft in a sitting 
posture is a native Indian. On the 
west side in a sitting posture is the 
old time trapper and frontiersman. 
Both figures are in bronze and very 
life-like. On the south side of the 
main shaft in relief is a full length 
bronze figure of a typical pioneer in 
the midst of his encampment. Im- 
mediately under this figure is a 
bronze tablet three feet long by one 
and one-half feet wide containing the 
inscription, "In honor of Brigham 
Young and the pioneers." On the 
north side is a plate of the same 
size and material on which the names 
of the first company of pioneers is 
inscribed. The sculptor has caught 
the pose of Brigham Young at the 
moment of his prophetic-historic ut- 
terance — "Here will stand the 
Temple of our God:" to which 
some add also, as part of his 
utterance, "And here we will 
build our city." The whole group 
was designed and executed by the 
Utah-born sculptor, C. E. Dallin. 
The angel on the east centre tower 
of the Temple is also Mr. Dallin's 
work. He is a student from the 
Julian Academy, Paris, Henri 
Michael Chapu being his instructor. 
He has won fame in the art centres 
both of the old and the new world. 
His most celebrated works, per- 
haps, are "The Signal of Peace," 



Ill 



Lincoln Park, Chicago; and the 
"Medicine Man."- Fremont Park, 
Philadelphia. Both subjects are 
closely allied in spirit to his work in 
the Pioneer Monument. 

The monument is a most fitting 
tribute to the pioneers of Utah, and 
will for generations to come com- 
memorate the hardships they endur- 
ed and the sacrifices they made in 
order to establish an outpost of 
that civilization which in those years 
was moving across the great 
continent of North America. "It 
is written that Peace hath her vic- 
tories no less renowned than those 
of War," and it is fitting that the 
triumphs of peace should be cele- 
brated in the monuments which men 
erect to commerate great achieve- 
ments. This monument is a memor- 
ial to a race of men whom succeed- 
ing generations honor themselves in 
honoring. 

"Simple their lives yet their's the 

race 
When liberty sent forth her cry, 
Who crowded Concord's heights 

of red — 
Through years by hope were lead, 
And witnessed Yorktown's sun 
Set on a nation's banner spread — 
A nation's freedom won." 



112 

25. The East Side of Temple Block, 

looking north, Salt Lake 
City, Utah. 

This is a fine view of the east side 
of the Temple Block and gives 
some ieda of the length of Salt Lake 
squares or block. The city in the 
main is laid off with streets running 
at right angles eight rods wide, with 
sidewalks twenty feet wide. Each 
of the blocks includes ten acres. The 
blocks are therefore forty rods long. 
The present view shows the "east 
side of Temple Block. The wall 
on the left entirely encloses the 
Temple square. It is ten feet 
high. The foundation and coping 
are of red sand-stone. The main 
body of the wall and pillasters, of 
which there are thirty on each side, 
are of adobes plastered with hard 
cement. This wall, completed 
seven years after the arrival of the 
pioneers, is a unique feature of 
Salt Lake City. 

26. Interior of the Tabernacle, 

seating 8,000, and the Great 
Organ, Salt Lake City, Utah. 

The Tabernacle, of which No. 26 
is an interior view, was commenced 
in 1865, an d two years later was 
so far completed that the general 
conference of the Church was held 
in it, but it was not fully completed 
until 1870. The building is 250 
by 150 feet and stands 80 feet high. 



H3 

Its seating capacity is 8,000. The 
organ, which is seen in this view 
from the gallery, is in the west end 
of the building. Immediately orr 
the right and left of the organ are 
the Choir seats for 500 members r 
and immediately in front the three 
tiers of pulpit-stands for the au- 
thorities of the Church. The fol- 
lowing is a description of the organ : 
"The front towers have an altitude 
of 58 feet, and the floor dimensions 
of the organ are 30 by 33 feet; it 
has no stops and accessories, and 
contains a total of over 5,000 pipes, 
ranging in length from one-fourth 
inch to 32 feet. It comprises five 
complete organs — Solo, Swell, 
Great, Choir and Pedal; in other 
words, four key boards in addition 
to the pedals. It is capable of 40a 
tonal varieties. The different va- 
rieties of tone embodied in this: 
noble instrument represent the in- 
struments of an orchestra, military 
band, choir, as well as the deep and 
sonorous stops for which the organ 
is famed. There is no color, shade 
or tint of tone that cannot be pro- 
duced upon it. The action is the 
Kimball Duplex Pneumatic. The 
organ is blown by a 10-horse power 
electric motor, and two gangs of 
feeders furnish 5,000 cubic feet of 
air a minute when it is being played 
full. The organist is seated twen- 
ty feet from the instrument, which 
places him well amongst the choii\. 



114 

Undoubtedly the organ owes much 
to the marvelous acoustics of the 
Tabernacle, but even with this al- 
lowance made, it is still the most 
perfect instrument of its kind in ex- 
istence. Free public recitals are 
given semi- weekly (during the sum- 
mer months) by Professor J. J. Mc- 
Clellan, the Tabernacle organist, 
:aided by the best vocal talent. 

This splendid instrument was 
constructed over 30 years ago by 
Utah artisans, and chiefly from na- 
tive materials. It was built under 
the direction of Joseph Ridges, and 
recently underwent extensive re- 
pairs, and was revoiced according 
to the modern schools of organ 
building, the work being done by 
the firm of W. W. Kimball & Co., 
of Chicago. The organ recitals 
through the summer months are one 
of the attractions of Salt Lake City 
to the tourists who visit Utah, as 
well as to her resident population. 

The Mormon Church authorities 
Tiave been very liberal in according 
to noted ministers of other pursua- 
sions the privilege to hold forth 
from the Tabernacle pulpit. The 
building has also been used for spe- 
cial services by Protestant and 
Catholic societies of both educa- 
tional and religious character. 



H5 

27. Assembly Hall, Temple Block — 
Gothic Architecture, seating- 
capacity 3,000, Salt Lake 
City, Utah. 

The Assembly Hall was erected 
to accommodate smaller congrega- 
tions than could with advantage 
convene in the Tabernacle. The 
building is 68 by 120 feet and the 
height of the central tower is 13a 
feet. In the interior is a gallery 
extending around three sides of the 
building. In the west end is a fine 
pipe organ, and immediately in 
front of it three tiers of stands — as 
in the Tabernacle — for the accom- 
modation of speakers and Church 
authorities. The corner stone of 
this building was laid in September, 
1877. It was completed and dedi- 
cated five years later — January 8, 
1883. The building is of mixed 
hewn and rough granite. Its seat- 
ing capacity is estimated at 3,000. 

28. The Beehive House, Official res- 
idence of President Joseph F, 
Smith, Salt Lake City, TJtalu 

The Bee Hive House, at present 
the official residence of Joseph F. 
Smith, the President of the Mormon 
Church, stands oil the corner of 
State and South Temple street, im- 
mediately west of the Eagle Gate, 
one of the pillars of which is seerr 
on the right. It was formerly one 



n6 

*of the residences of the late Presi- 
dent Brigham Young. It is called 
the Bee Hive House, because the 
box observatory rising from the 
roof was surmounted by a bee hive, 
the emblem of the State, signifying 
industry. The bee hive, it will be 
remembered, since statehood, has 
become the official seal of the State 
of Utah. The house is of the old 
Colonial style of the New England 
States, and its interior arrangement 
Is commodious and homelike. 

Immediately below the Bee Hive 
House is seen the small buildings 
which constitute the offices of the 
First Presidency of the Church. In 
this stereograph we are looking 
from the Southeast. 

29. The Lion House and the Great 
Temple at distan3e, north- 
west, Salt Lake City, Utah. 

In this view we see the south end 
of the Lion House, also one of the 
residences of the late President 
President Brigham Young. It take 
its name from the sculptured stone 
lion seen in repose above the portico 
which forms the entrance to the 
building. It is an adobe structure 
plastered with hard cement, resting 
on a foundation of red sandstone. 
The Lion House stands immediately 
below the Church offices on South 
Temple street and faces south. We 
are looking to the northwest and 



ii7 

get an excellent view of the many- 
spired Mormon Temple in the dis- 
tance. For a number of years the 
Lion House has been used as the 
temporary home of some depart- 
ments of the Latter-Day Saints Uni- 
versity. 

30. Amelia Palace, last official resi- 
dence of Brigham Young, 
Salt Lake City, Utah. 

This palatial residence in the 
Elizabethan style of architecture 
was built by President Brigham 
Young for an official residence. It 
was originally called the Gardo 
House, but being designed, as is 
generally supposed, as the home of 
his wife Amelia Folsom, it in time 
came to be called Amelia Palace. 
The building stands on the corner 
of State street and South Temple. 
We are looking at it from the north- 
east and see the north and east 
front. In the latter part of Decem- 
ber, 1881, the Amelia Palace, then 
called the Gardo House, became the 
official residence of President John 
Taylor, who succeeded Brigham 
Young in the Presidency of the 
Mormon Church. For some years 
after the demise of President Tay- 
lor, it was retained as the residence 
of leading Church officials. This 
building, regarded as one of the 
handsomest residences in Salt Lake 
City, or the inter-mountain west, is 



n8 

at present the property of Mrs. Su- 
sanna B. Emery Holmes, a non- 
Mormon but a very public-spirited 
and charitable lady. She retains for 
her magnificent home the name 
Amelia Palace; and it is one of the 
chief centers of social life in Salt 
Lake. 

31. Grave of Brigham Young, Salt 
Lake City, Utah. 

The Grave of Brigham Young is 
located in the southeast corner of 
his private burial grounds on the 
hillside between South Temple and 
First street, a little east of the Eagle 
Gate. The burial site overlooks the 
city and valley on the south and 
west, and could be described as a 
splendid resting place for the great 
Pioneer after life's troubled dream 
had passed. According to written 
instructions to his family, a stone 
vault was made under the personal 
superintendency of his son, John W. 
Young — who in the later years of 
Brigham Young's life was his coun- 
selor in the Mormon Church Presi- 
dency. The vault is seven feet 
eleven inches long, four feet wide, 
and three feet three inches high. 
The cut stone of which the vault is 
made is doweled and bolted with 
steel and over it is placed a huge 
granite slab, The whole vault is 
surmounted, as will be seen in the 
stereograph, with an iron picket 



ii 9 

railing. Thousands annually visit 
this spot, some out of idle curiosity, 
but many out of sincere respect to 
the memory of the great Pioneer. 
President Young died on the 29th 
of August, 1877. His interment 
took place on the 2nd of September. 
While his remains lay in state in the 
great Tabernacle, it is estimated 
that 75,000 people passed the bier, 
each one halting for a moment to 
look upon the features of the great 
leader. "In every quarter of the 
globe," says a great historian, "the 
death of Brigham Young excited 
more remark than would that of a 
great monarch. " 

32. Court House — City and County 
Building— height 256 feet, 
cost $800,000, Salt Lake City, 
Utah. 

The City and County Building 
stands on one of the ten-acre blocks 
of Salt Lake City, between Second 
East and Fourth and Fifth South 
streets. The block was formerly 
known as "Emigration Square/' for 
the reason that it was the old camp- 
ing ground of emigrant trains com- 
ing in from the plains through Emi- 
gration canyon on the east side of 
the Salt Lake valley. The building 
is what is called the Romanesque 
style of architecture. It is 2"j2 feet 
in length, by 156 feet wide, and is 
four stories in height. The central 



120 

tower, however, rises to the height 
of 250 feet, and is surmounted by a 
bronze figure representing Colum- 
bia. The material of which it is 
built is called "kyune" stone, of a 
light grey color, and is produced 
from Utah quarries. The building 
is fire-proof and cost upwards of 
$800,000. The offices of the Salt 
Lake City and County government 
conjointly occupy the building; and 
it was erected conojintly by those 
civic divisions. The grounds are 
beautifully laid out in walks, lawns 
and shrubbery, and at night are 
beautifully illuminated by electricity. 

33. Salt Lake City, northwest from 

the Court House — the Temple 
at distance left — Utah. 

This view shows the northern sec- 
tion of Salt Lake City from the 
tower of the City and County Build- 
ing. It overlooks the heart of the 
business section of the city. In the 
distance on the left is seen the Mor- 
mon Temple, and beyond, the spur 
of mountain which here runs down 
some distance from the Wasatch 
range into Salt Lake valley. 

34. Looking southeast along Main 

street, Salt Lake City, Utah. 

This stereograph gives another 
view of the central business district 
of Salt Lake City. We are looking 



121 

south on Main street, which has 
quite a metropolitan air. The vol- 
ume of business transacted in this 
queen city of the intermountain re- 
gion may be, to some extent, under- 
stood from the following statement 
concerning the bank capitazilation, 
resources and deposits : 

"The total capitalization of the 
banks of the State amount to $4,- 
407,893 ; the total resources equal 
$59,311,567; the commercial depos- 
its aggregate $27,032,721 ; their 
savings deposits amount to $7,702,- 
835 ; while they have a surplus and 
undivided profits amounting to $13,- 
491,285." 

35. Great Pavilion at Saltair 
Beach, Salt Lake, thirteen 
miles due west from Salt 
Lake City, Utah. 

The Saltair Bathing Pavilion, the 
east side of which is shown in stere- 
ograph xxxv., is thirteen miles di- 
rectly west of Salt Lake City. The 
building is Moorish in its style of 
architecture, and with the attendant 
bathing houses cost $250,000. The 
total length of the buildings from 
oast to west is 1,115 ^ eet an d tne 
greatest width is 335 feet. The 
height from the water to the top of 
the tower is 125 feet. It has two 
main floors, the lower one, used 
chiefly for lunching and picnic pur- 
poses, is 151 by 253 feet. The up- 



122 

per floor, used chiefly for dancing, 
is 140 by 250 feet. No pillar or 
other obstruction is found in this 
magnificent dancing pavilion, the 
roof being dome-shaped, patterned 
after the roofing of the Mormon 
Tabernacle in the Temple square, 
and, in fact, is of the same size, but 
the frame work of the pavilion is 
of iron, while that of the Tabernacle 
is of wood. There are 600 bath 
rooms ; and at night, during the bath- 
ing season, the whole pavilion is 
lighted by 1,250 incandescent, and 
forty arc electric lights, which give 
this chief Utah pleasure summer re- 
sort the air of fairyland. The build- 
ing was commenced February 1, 
1893, and was opened the following 
summer to the bathers and pleas- 
ure seekers. 

38. Great Salt Lake and the Pavil- 
ion — Bathing scene, showing 
density of water in Great 
Salt Lake. 

In this view we are looking from 
the northwest towards the Saltair 
bathing pavilion ; and the scene is a 
typical one in the heart of the bath- 
ing season. In the foreground is 
really an exhibition of the buoyancy 
of the waters. A person may extend 
himself at full length on the surface 
of the water, and with the slightest 
ease balance himself in comfort. 
Bathing in the lake with the subse- 
quent shower bath of fresh water, 



123 

with which each of the 600 bath 
rooms is supplied, is refreshing and 
a rare privilege for people inhabit- 
ing an inland country. The com- 
parative density of the lake water is 
seen in the following table : 

Water. Solids. 

Great Salt Lake ... 74 . 78 25 . 22 

Dead Sea 76.0 24.0 

Mediterranean Sea.. 96.2 3.8 

Atlantic Ocean .... 96.5 3.5 

Dr. James E. Talmage, of the 
State University, speaking of ani- 
mal life in the lake, says : 

"Of animals but few specimens 
have been found in the lake, but 
these few are represented by swarm- 
ing numbers. Among the animal 
forms already reported as common 
to the lake, the writer has confirmed 
the presence of four: (1) Artemia 
fertilis, Verril; (2) the larvae of 
one of the Tipulidaw, probably Chi- 
ronomus, Packard; (3) a species of 
Corixa, probably Corixa tricolor, 
Uhler; (4) larvae and pupae of a 
fly, Ephydra gracilis, Packard." 

The lake, it is said, is eighty miles 
long by fifty wide, and is deepest on 
the west side, the greatest known 
depth being sixty feet. In the vicin- 
ity of the Saltair Pavilion are exten- 
sive salt works. During the high 
water season extensive artificial 
ponds are formed which by evapor- 
ation are converted into salt beds, 
which later are thrown into huge 



124 

truncated pyramid forms, and later 
the crystal material is shipped to the 
refining works, and also to the smel- 
ters of Utah, Idaho, Montana and 
Colorado, for fluxing purposes. Salt 
Lake is rapidly giving to Utah the 
popular and poetic name of the 
"Dead Sea State/' 

37. Honorable Heber M. Wells, 
Governor of Utah, in his of- 
fice, Salt Lake City. 

Heber M. Wells has the distinc- 
tion of being the first governor of 
the State of Utah. Utah was ad- 
mitted into the sisterhood of states 
by the proclamation of President 
Grover Cleveland, on Saturday, the 
4th day of January, 1896, and the 
State officers were installed on the 
Monday following, January 6th. A 
full set of State officers had been 
elected in the November previous, 
1895. The first term was fixed at 
five years, and the succeeding terms 
at four years. After five years of 
service in the capacity of chief ex- 
ecutive of the State, Governor Wells 
was renominated by his party and 
elected by the people for a term of 
four years, so that for nine years the 
gentleman has served as governor 
of the state, and has given quite gen- 
eral satisfaction in discharging the 
duties of his high office, especially 
in the social functions of the office 
which naturally fall to the chief ex- 



1^5 

ecutive of the State. He bears an 
honored family name; for among 
the pioneers of Utah there is no 
man that was more highly esteemed 
by the people than Daniel H. Wells, 
the father of Governor Wells. He 
was recognized as one of the wisest 
legislators in the early history of 
Utah and his political foresight and 
judgment had much to do with 
forming the policy followed by the 
Mormon Church leaders, and it is 
undoubtedly the case that Governor 
Wells owes much of his success po- 
litically to the honored name of his 
father. Governor Wells was born 
in Salt Lake City, August n, 1859. 

38. President Joseph F. Smith, left, 
Second Counselor Anthon H. 
Lund, center, First Counselor 
John R. Winder, right. 

This view of the three men who 
at present constitute the First Presi- 
dency of the Mormon Church is 
taken in their office on East South 
Temple street, in the group of build- 
ings between the Bee Hive House 
and the Lion House. It shows them 
sitting at their council-table where 
the many sided interests of the 
Church are considered daily and 
disposed of. The Mormon Church 
in her polity is not confined 
merely to abstract questions of 
theology, or the probable future 
state of man. It has something to 



126 

say concerning the present welfare 
of man, and has instructions and 
counsel to give to its large member- 
ship upon their personal relation- 
ship with each other, as well as upon 
their future spiritual welfare. It 
has colonization enterprises to con- 
sider; business interests to manage, 
and a large revenue to dispose of in 
charities, as also in the building of 
temples, in the building of ordinary 
places of worship, in the interests 
of Church educational institutions, 
of which it has a large number. It 
has to consider the interests of its 
missionary enterprises, extending 
into nearly all the nations of the 
earth and among Polynesian peoples. 
All this work, both domestic and 
foreign, temporal and spiritual, is 
under the immediate management 
and executive control of the First 
Presidency of the Church, who are 
in daily council and constant consid- 
eration of these various interests. 
It is a matter of pride with the Mor- 
mon people that each of the Church 
Presidencies — of which, counting 
the present, there have been six — 
have had the entire confidence of 
the membership of the Church, and 
that that confidence has not been 
abused. All down the line the presi- 
idents have been men who have lab- 
ored with singular disinterestedness 
for the welfare of the Church and 
the progress of its work. This is 
true of all the Presidencies that have 



127 

existed, but of no one of them is it 
more especially true than of the one 
now at the head of the Church. 

The personnel of the present First 
Presidency is interesting. The Presi- 
dent, Joseph F. Smith, — seated on 
the left in the stereograph — was 
born at Far West, Missouri, on the 
13th of November, 1838, in the 
midst of the most violent persecu- 
tion through which the Church has 
ever passed. His childhood was 
spent amid the exciting scenes at- 
tendant upon the persecution of the 
Saints at Nauvoo, ending in the 
martyrdom of his father and uncle 
and the expulsion of the Saints from 
their homes in that state. His 
youth was spent in the pioneer life 
of the people in Utah, and his early 
manhood in the performance of mis- 
sionary labors in the islands of the 
Pacific, in the United States, and 
Europe. For fourteen years he was 
a member of the Council of Apos- 
tle — 1 866- 1 880. For seven consec- 
utive terms he was a member of the 
Utah Territorial Legislature. The 
more mature years of his life have 
been spent in the Presidency of the 
Church, having been the counselor 
to the late Presidents John Taylor, 
Wilford Woodruff, and Lorenzo 
Snow. So that through all the years 
of his life he has been most closely 
connected with the Church and its 
constantly increasing interests. 

President Smith is the son of Hy- 



128 

rum Smith and Mary Fielding. Hy- 
rum Smith, it will be remembered, 
was an elder brother of the Prophet 
Joseph, and was killed with him in 
Carthage prison; so that President 
Joseph F. Smith is a nephew of the 
earthly founder of Mormonism, and 
a descendant of one of its greatest 
leaders. So central and command- 
ing was the figure of the Prophet 
Joseph in Mormonism that nearly 
all other characters of the early days 
are overshadowed by him, and this 
circumstance has led many to over- 
look the real greatness of Hyrum 
Smith, and the importance of his re- 
lationship to the work of God in the 
last days. But Hyrum Smith was 
really a great and estimable man. 
His was one of those steadfast na- 
tures whose high zeal knows no 
abatement, and who is capable of 
living on high plains of thought and 
feeling. If they do not rise to the 
highest summits, neither do they 
sink into the lowest vallies, but 
move forward on what we may 
call a high plateau of intellect, feel- 
ing and living. He was a counselor 
and friend such as the prophet need- 
ed. The nature of the one was an 
excellent supplement to that of the 
other. Their natures and their lives 
coalesced until they were well nigh 
as one and inseparable. Of his 
brother Hyrum the Prophet once 
said: "I could pray in my heart 
that all my brethren were like unto 



129 

my beloved brother Hyrum, who 
possesses the meekness of a lamb, 
and the integrity of a Job; and, in 
short, the meekness and humility 
of Christ ; and I love him with that 
love that is stronger than death, for 
I never had occasion to rebuke him, 
nor he me." The friendship subsist- 
ing between these two brothers, 
Joseph and Hyrum Smith, is one of 
the most beautiful things in the his- 
tory of Mormonism, and sanctified 
as it was by the martyrdom of both, 
it deserves to be chronicled as one 
of the historical friendships of 
the world. It is deservedly said of 
them, "In life they were not divided, 
and in death they were not sepa- 
rated/' 

> In President Joseph F. Smith the 
Saints of today see reflected many 
of the high qualities of his sainted 
father, united with executive abili- 
ties which perhaps were not so 
marked in Hyrum Smith. He lives 
in the affections of his people, be- 
cause of the uprightness of his life, 
and the general honesty, integrity 
and courage of his soul. He is 
bound to them by every possible tie 
that can bind a leader to his people. 
They believe in him absolutely, trust 
him implicitly, and will follow him, 
perhaps, as they would follow no 
other man now living. With such 
a leader and such a following, Mor- 
monism during his administration 
will doubtless develop the highest 



130 

and best things of which it is cap- 
able. 

President Smith's first counselor, 
John R. Winder, seated on the right 
in the stereograph, was born in Bid- 
denden, Kent, England, December 
ii, 1820. President Winder is a 
man of affairs and brings to his 
work an alertness that is little short 
of the marvelous. He accepted the 
gospel in England under the minis- 
tration of Elders Orson Spencer and 
Orson Pratt, in 1848. Five years 
later he emigrated to Utah, where 
he arrived in October, 1853. From 
that time until the present he has 
been identified with all the develop- 
ing interests of the people of the in- 
termountain west ; and now with the 
frosts of eighty-four winters upon 
his head, he is still actively alert in 
all that concerns them. His nature 
is a never failing source of cheerful- 
ness and hope that knows no 
bounds, and he brings to the consid- 
eration of all the many interests of 
the Church the hived wisdom of an 
extensive experience. If the gen- 
eral principle is true — and no one 
questions it — that in the midst of 
counsel there is safety, then doubly 
is it true of the counsels of such men 
as John R. Winder. 

Anthon H. Lund, President 
Smith's second counselor — the cen- 
tral figure in the stereograph — is of 
Scandinavian nationality, being 
born in Aalborg, Denmark, on the 



I3i 

i 

15th of May, 1844. While a man 
of sound judgment in general busi- 
ness affairs, President Lund is per- 
haps the most scholarly man in the 
Mormon Church. His early educa- 
tion was carefully provided for. He 
is well up in the classical and mod- 
ern-languages. He is widely read,, 
and a man of sound literary judg- 
ment. His character is strong but 
his manner gentle; and his influ- 
ence, perhaps, is more widely felt on 
that account. He is profoundly 
versed in the principles of his relig- 
ion, and no one can converse with 
him upon the subject of his faith 
without becoming impressed with 
the absolute sincerity of the man, 
though his native modesty always 
restrains him from every appear- 
ance of aggressiveness in the pre- 
sentation of his views to others. It 
will readily be observed by the 
reader, that if my brief analysis oF 
his character be correct, he is admir- 
ably suited for the position he holds 
as Counselor to President Smith, 
and the Historian of the Church. 

JfJ !f» 5JC 5JC 3jC 3ft 

We have now completed the tour 
through the stereographs from Pal- 
myra to Salt Lake City; and the 
reader has before him in outline the 
rise and progress, up to date, of the 
Mormon Church. Any one who fol- 
lows its story through these stereo- 
graphs and considers what they re- 
veal of its growth and development 



132 

must be especially impressed with 
one fact, viz. : the steady growth of 
this thing called Mormonism. It is 
evident that so far it has overcome 
all the obstacles that have confront- 
ed it. It has successfully lived down 
every opposition. Every effort of its 
enemies has but resulted in its en- 
largement. Not the martyrdom of 
its earthly founder; not its enforced 
exodus from the borders of civiliza- 
tion to the wilderness ; not the death 
of its great pioneer leaders ; not the 
advent of railroads and telegraph 
lines bringing it in contact with the 
spirit of modern civilization — none 
of these things seem to affect it in 
the way of working its destruction. 
Its prospects are brighter today than 
ever before. Its faith is more in- 
telligently conceived by its follow- 
ing, and therefore is it more strong- 
ly fixed in their hearts. Its own ed- 
ucational institutions are giving bet- 
ter form to its system of theological 
doctrines. It is rapidly forming a 
body of literature that must in the 
end influence the religious ideas of 
millions of people yet unborn. The 
sober-minded are ready to concede 
that as the past is filled with tri- 
umphs for this modern faith, so is 
the future pregnant with possibili- 
ties for it ; and the end thereof no 
merely human wisdom may pro- 
phesy. 



LIBRARY OF CONGRESS 



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